Bulgaria marks the 80th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews in World War II on Friday. The Day of Rescue of Bulgarian Jews and of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust and of the Crimes against Humanity has been marked since 2003, by a government decision of February 13, 2003.
On March 17, 1943, Vice-President of the 25th National Assembly Dimitar Peshev initiated a sharp letter of protest to Prime Minister Bogdan Filov against the deportation of the Bulgarian Jews signed by a total of 43 lawmakers. With the actions of Metropolitan Cyril of Plovdiv and Exarch Stefan of Sofia and the intervention of the public, nearly 50,000 Bulgarian Jews were saved from deportation.
In Sofia, the 80th anniversary will be marked with several events.
An exhibition of documents, books, periodicals, and memories of contemporaries will be unveiled at the St St Cyril and Methodius National Library. President Rumen Radev will open the exhibition, and Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov and Culture Minister Nayden Todorov will attend. The guest of honour will be renowned Israeli historian and public figure Prof Michael Bar-Zohar.
A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the Memorial Plaques to the Rescuers of Bulgarian Jews next to the St Sophia Church. Attending will be President Radev, representatives of the Executive, the academic circles, and the Jewish community, diplomats, and citizens.
A March of Tolerance and Wisdom is organized by Sofia Municipality and the Shalom Organization of Jews in Bulgaria. The march will start from St Sophia Church at 10:45 and will end at the Monument to Salvation, where an official ceremony will be held. Foreign Minister Milkov will take part in the march.
Milkov and his deputies Kodzhabashev and Velislava Petrova are scheduled to have meetings with visitors on the occasion of the anniversary from Israel, Mexico, and representatives of international Jewish organisations.
Regional History Museum – Sofia will host a stamp validation ceremony for the 80th anniversary, which will be attended by the President of Shalom, Prof Alexander Oscar, and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakov.
The BTA National Press Club will host a news conference on documents and memories about the fate of the people who contributed to the rescue of Bulgarian Jews. The event is organised by Stefan Karaivanov, the grandson of Dimitar Peshev.
