
The rescue of the Bulgarian Jews
March 2018 marks the 75th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews from the death camps during World War II. The National History Museum dedicates its virtual exhibition to these events, with the objects from the museum's permanent exhibition as its highlight.
In it, visitors can see several very interesting objects related to the historical facts of 1943. Among them are the typewriter and the "Stara Planina" order, XNUMXst degree, with which Dimitar Peshev was awarded posthumously. Plaques are also of great interest. Besides the plaque of the Council of Europe, which is individual / for Dimitar Peshev/, there is also a plaque presented to Bulgaria by the Jews in the USA. Not to be missed is the memorial sign, a gift to Bulgarian President Zhelio Zhelev from the appreciative Jewish community in Washington.
In addition to the objects in this showcase, the NIM has in its funds a series of photographs and documents concerning the situation of the Jewish community in Bulgaria. They are from the late 30s and early 40s and show not only the life of the Jews interned in labor camps, but also testify to the reactions of the Bulgarian society against the policy conducted against them.
Last year, 2017, the National History Museum received as a donation several valuable photographs from Mr. Neil Goldstein Glick, a public figure from the city of Washington, USA. They are from a memorable event that happened in 2013: the renaming of a square in Washington that already bears the name of Dimitar Peshev. In addition to the author of the initiative, our ambassador to the USA at the time, Mrs. Elena Poptodorova, and the American documentary maker of Jewish origin, Mr. Jackie Conforti, who was born in Bulgaria and is the author of the film "The Optimists" about the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews. Among them can be seen a copy of a letter of thanks from H.V. Simeon of Saxe-Coburg to Neil Glick.
After the accession of Bulgaria to the Tripartite Pact /March 1, 1941/, the Bulgarian government was forced to follow the anti-Jewish policy of its ally, Nazi Germany. Already in the Law "For the Protection of the Nation", adopted in January 1941, a whole series of restrictive provisions regarding persons of Jewish origin in Bulgaria were provided. In February 1943, the Belev-Daneker agreement was signed, the clauses of which specified not only the number of Jews to be deported, but also the settlements from which this should be done. Not only the newly administered lands from Vardar Macedonia and White Sea Thrace, but also cities from the Kingdom of Bulgaria are affected. After the deportations began, information about what was happening reached the general Bulgarian public, and this caused a strong reaction of indignation among many prominent Bulgarian public, religious and political figures. At the head of the protest against the government's anti-Jewish policy is the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Dimitar Peshev.
Dimitar Yosifov Peshev (13.06.1894 – 20.02.1973) is a Bulgarian MP, born in Kyustendil, graduated in law. Minister of Justice in the first government of G. Kyoseivanov (1935-36). Name representative in XXIV (1938 – 39) and XXV (1940 – 44) National Assembly and vice-chairman. On March 17.03.1943, 42, he drew up a letter of protest to the government, signed by 15 deputies, against the deportation of the Bulgarian Jews. Sentenced by the People's Court to 12.04.1996 years in prison, rehabilitated by a decision of the Supreme Court dated XNUMX. Honorary citizen of Israel.
In his letter to the authorities in Bulgaria, he sharply criticized the deportations and demanded that they be stopped. Faced with such opposition and following instructions from Tsar Boris III, Prime Minister Bogdan Filov and Interior Minister Petar Gabrovski stopped the trains. A total of 11343 people were deported from Macedonia and Thrace, because according to the Clodius-Popov agreement, the Bulgarian state has only formal administrative authority in these territories, the final accession of which is left to be decided after the end of the war. But 48398 Jews from the territory of the Kingdom of Bulgaria were saved from the death camps.