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Bulgarians and Jews got on very well at that time. It was only in 1940 when the Law for the Protection of the Nation [11] was promulgated [the law was passed at the beginning of 1941], and that’s when a worse attitude could be felt. At the end of 1939 and the beginning of 1940 fascist organizations were set up in Dupnitsa like ‘Brannik’ [12] and ‘Otets Paisii’ [13]. Then the ‘Legionaries’ [see Bulgarian Legions] [14] also appeared. A ‘Brannik’ lived opposite us, and used to torment me a lot. When I went out he used to force me back and swear at me. It was already after 1940. We had a curfew and separate shops, as well as a separate bakery. There were even signs on some shops saying ‘Entrance forbidden for Jews’. In the evening we weren’t allowed to walk on the main street. We could only walk along the river. Anyone who didn’t obey those restrictions was arrested. We were forced to wear yellow stars [see Yellow star in Bulgaria] [15]. They were made of plastic. No one would hire a Jew for a job. I worked at home: I repaired shoes. My parents worked in the tobacco warehouse, and so did my sisters. Saturday was a working day for the warehouses also. Sunday was the day off. Very often we were obliged to work on Saturday and therefore we didn’t observe Sabbath.
Once in 1941, me and a bunch of friends were playing cards in a cafe. There was a police agent there, who was eavesdropping on us while we were discussing a Soviet movie. When we went out of the cafe he followed us. Shortly after that he stopped us and made us follow him to the police station. One by one, all of us were interrogated in a room there. We were asked what our talk was about and I got a slap in the face because I was wearing a red shirt. A neighbor of mine was also sitting in the room, yet he didn’t do anything to help me. Finally we were set free. There was a cinema in Dupnitsa. They screened a variety of films there. It was very difficult to get tickets for the nice movies because they ran out of them very quickly. I remember waiting in line for a long time to buy 10-15 tickets for my friends.
Between 1938 and 1940 we often went on excursions to the Balkan Mountain. These trips were organized by the UYW [16] of which I was a member. I wouldn’t say we had much of an activity. We had a friend, a tailor, Zhak Alfandari, who lived in the Jewish neighborhood. He had a closet in his atelier. He kept a jacket there with an illegal newspaper from Sofia in its pocket. We were interested in the illegal newspaper. I think it was ‘Rabotnichesko delo’ [Worker’s deed] [The newspaper of the Bulgarian Communist Party [17]]. He knew why we visited him and let us in. He was a communist. He was caught and sent to prison. After he was set free from prison in September 1944, he returned to his dressmaking atelier.
Once in 1941, me and a bunch of friends were playing cards in a cafe. There was a police agent there, who was eavesdropping on us while we were discussing a Soviet movie. When we went out of the cafe he followed us. Shortly after that he stopped us and made us follow him to the police station. One by one, all of us were interrogated in a room there. We were asked what our talk was about and I got a slap in the face because I was wearing a red shirt. A neighbor of mine was also sitting in the room, yet he didn’t do anything to help me. Finally we were set free. There was a cinema in Dupnitsa. They screened a variety of films there. It was very difficult to get tickets for the nice movies because they ran out of them very quickly. I remember waiting in line for a long time to buy 10-15 tickets for my friends.
Between 1938 and 1940 we often went on excursions to the Balkan Mountain. These trips were organized by the UYW [16] of which I was a member. I wouldn’t say we had much of an activity. We had a friend, a tailor, Zhak Alfandari, who lived in the Jewish neighborhood. He had a closet in his atelier. He kept a jacket there with an illegal newspaper from Sofia in its pocket. We were interested in the illegal newspaper. I think it was ‘Rabotnichesko delo’ [Worker’s deed] [The newspaper of the Bulgarian Communist Party [17]]. He knew why we visited him and let us in. He was a communist. He was caught and sent to prison. After he was set free from prison in September 1944, he returned to his dressmaking atelier.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Sabat Pilosof