Rumen Radev: The Rescue of Bulgarian Jews Is an Example of the Power of Public and Political Energy Dedicated to a Just Cause
2023-03-10 18:13:00
Attempts to impute guilt are a manifestation of disrespect to the rescued Jews and to the moral feat of tiny Bulgaria during World War II, the head of State says during the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews
In days of hardship, the Bulgarian state and people passed an incredible test of great historical value by not allowing a single Bulgarian Jew to perish in the death camps or be killed in Bulgaria. The rescue of Bulgarian Jews keeps on being an example of the strength of public and political energy dedicated to a just cause. This is what President Rumen Radev said during the opening of a documentary exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews at the SS Cyril and Methodius National Library.
The exposition features exhibits from the National Library's collection, as well as the awards posthumously given to King Boris III by international Jewish organisations, including the World Jewish Congress and the Anti-Defamation League.
Among the attendees were Vice President Iliana Iotova, Prime Minister Galab Donev, ministers, diplomats, representatives of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the academia, of the Jewish community in Bulgaria and of the organisations of Bulgarian Jews in the State of Israel. Famous historian and public figure from Israel, Prof Michael Bar-Zohar, author of the book Salvation, dedicated to the events in the spring of 1943, which led to the rescue of nearly 50 thousand Bulgarian Jews, was a guest of honour.
In his speech, head of State Rumen Radev recalled how, in one of the darkest periods of human history, Bulgaria, which had already experienced two national catastrophes, was doing everything possible to avoid being dragged into another war on the Old Continent. Despite the pressure of Nazi Germany and its lost neutrality, however, Bulgarian institutions rejected anti-Semitism, while the Bulgarian people did not change their good attitude towards their Jewish friends, neighbours, schoolmates, and colleagues. The Commissariat for Jewish Affairs did not impose itself on the Bulgarian Parliament and Government, and Hitler did not break the decision of King Boris III not to allow the deportation of a single Bulgarian subject outside the borders of Bulgaria, the President added.
The lesson of statesmanship of the 43 deputies of the government majority in the National Assembly who signed the letter of the Deputy Speaker Dimitar Peshev, and of the worthy spiritual leaders of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which was then part of the state, will forever remain in our history, the President stressed. Rumen Radev also highlighted the important role and active public position of a number of scientific and professional associations, and the intellectual elite that remained faithful to the traditions of its Bulgarian people and state, as well as the contribution of Bulgarian Jews in the anti-fascist resistance.
The head of State pointed out that eight decades since the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews our society remains in debt to the memory of the rescuers because of the ideological layers that have obscured the work of the worthy. We are obliged to keep the memory of the past clean, because the historical memory, on which the foundations of the nation are based, is strong only when it rests on the truth, the President said.
Attempts to impute guilt are, at the very least, a sign of disrespect for our rescued Jewish fellow citizens and for the moral feat of tiny Bulgaria, while others in Europe were collaborating with the Nazi authorities, the President said, adding that the millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust will never be forgotten. He stressed that Bulgaria's Jewish community at the end of the Second World War was more numerous than before it began and this huge moral capital of Bulgaria must be protected from any attempt to replace it.
Prof Michael Bar-Zohar spoke about the decisive actions of King Boris III, the Bulgarian state and the Bulgarian people that led to the rescue of all Bulgarian Jews during World War II. My friends and I have a sacred duty to Bulgaria - to spread throughout the world this story of the rescue of the Jews - it is something very deep and we must keep it in the Bulgarian soul and in our memories, said Prof Michael Bar-Zohar.
Later in the day, head of State Rumen Radev took part in a procession to the Memorial Plaques of the Saviours of Bulgarian Jews next to St Sophia Cathedral, where a wreath-laying ceremony took place. The events of the programme of the National Initiative Committee to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War were held under the patronage of head of State Rumen Radev.
