The Power of Civil Society: the Fate of the Bulgarian Jews
In 2013, we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the saving of Bulgarian Jews during World War II. Bulgarian society’s example of civil courage, raised in defence of the persecuted Jews, transcends the narrow national boundaries and time frames and should be neither forgotten nor misunderstood. We mark the anniversary not only as a date of the calendar but also because the facts of Bulgarian history must be treated objectively. It is a historically undeniable fact that 70 years ago Bulgaria gave the most explicit example of a successful opposition to the attempts to eradicate the Jews. Thanks to the efforts of the Bulgarian MPs of the 25th National Assembly, prominent public figures and scientists, Bulgarian diplomats, professional organizations, representatives of the official and clandestine opposition, the brave and assertive stance of the BOC, the Head of State Tsar Boris III decided to stop the deportation of 48,000 Jews - Bulgarian citizens to the death camps .
The rescue of the Bulgarian Jews is an outstanding historical example, proving that the personal and political courage, the civil conscience and will are strong means through which we can counteract to the most obscurantist policy. The actions of the Bulgarian civil society 70 years ago are based on values still valid today, because they have a European and global context. The example of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust is our message to the world and the citizens of all countries,
because it affirms the infinite power of a civil society to fight injustice and violation of civil and human rights. The 70th anniversary is an occasion not only to consider the past but also speak of who we are today and how we act as a society, to observe from the position of time the causes and the developments of those events, usually difficult for modern generations to grasp.
The website www.bulgarianjews.bg, an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, illustrates the history of the salvation through facts and documents. The web portal provides extensive information and video content, as well as a wide range of archival documents that tell the story of the Jews in Bulgaria, who came many centuries ago to become a permanent part of the fate of the Bulgarian society, of the vicissitudes during World War II and the fairness and morality of a society; for the future generations, raised in peace and freedom. The archival documents and the explanatory notes were selected and prepared by Dr. Albena Taneva, Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski ".