Rescuing history: Bulgaria and 1943
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Loading... - Svetta Maya
- 30 Mar 2023
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As a descendant of Bulgarian Jews who survived the Holocaust, I am writing these words with the dedication to the memory of my great-grandparents and grandparents. During the war, some of them were evicted, others were sent to labour camps, and some became outlaws. But all survived.
Although my grandparents suffered under the 1941 Bulgarian Law for the Protection of the Nation and were forced to wear the yellow star on their lapels, they remained alive. Their family line continues with me, my sister, and our cousins and children—unlike my uncle Buko, who lived in Austria and was killed with his whole family in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.
For this life, every March 10, we give thanks.
Our grandparents passed their stories on to us—but not with anger or resentment for the pain they endured. The truth is that they spoke more about the support of the Bulgarians towards them than about repression. They infused us with their love and appreciation for Bulgaria. Therefore, each year—marking the anniversary of the events—we always resort to this love in our thoughts.
Each year, Jewish organisations in Bulgaria, Israel, and worldwide endeavour to mention as many names of Bulgarian saviours of Jews as possible. We tell as many stories as possible—and many they are.
Bulgarian Jews were saved by an extraordinary combination of efforts of ordinary people, institutions, organisations, individual politicians, and public figures. The saviours are all those commendable Bulgarians who recognised evil by their innate moral compass and stood their ground facing the fascist death machine—often breaking the law, opposing the government policies of Bogdan Filov and Tsar Boris III, and risking their lives. Read More..
