History

The fate of Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War is a subject on which a number of experts work seriously and thoroughly both in Bulgaria and abroad. Some of them argue that historical events are too recent and still it is difficult to give estimates for them. Others are of the opinion that namely the fact that there are numerous available documents from that period and living witnesses of the events which makes difficult their interpretation.

The Organization of Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” has set as its main priority the study of events in Bulgaria in the years of the Holocaust and generally assist researchers and scientists in their work on the topic. OJB “Shalom” unites its members who are interested and publicly defend different understandings on key controversial issues, namely: Who is to be credited for the saving the Bulgarian Jews? Which Jews are identified as Bulgarian? Who is responsible for the deaths of 11,343 Jews from Thrace, Vardar Macedonia and Pirot?

The organization firmly defends the position that it is a historical fact that the Bulgarian Jews were saved from deportation to the Nazi death camps as a result of the actions of the majority of Bulgarian people, Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian non-fascist public. For this act of the Bulgarians, Jews will always be grateful and will always mourn and honor the memory of the innocent victims of northern Greece, former Yugoslavia and Europe.

The Organization of Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” is not a scientific organization and therefore is not in a position to adjudicate and give estimates on controversial and complex historical events such as the fate of Jews during the Holocaust. Therefore, in this section we offer the professional view of Assoc. Prof. in contemporary Bulgarian history Rumyana Marinova-Hristidi from the Faculty of History of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

The Fate of the Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust – the Menace, the Rescue, the Aliya