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On 24th May 1943, a protest was held in Sofia against the internment of Jews from Sofia and the deportation of Bulgarian Jews. The demonstration had started from the Iuchbunar Jewish school where 130 High School is located now. People walked from the synagogue to the school along Stamboliiski Blvd towards the King’s palace to ask him for help. At that time people believed in King Boris III [12]. Yet, the police met the demonstration somewhere on Opalchenska Street before Stamboliiski Blvd on Vazrazhdane Square and arrested a lot of people putting them in trucks and thus the protest was kept under control. The protest was led by Rabbi Daniel [Zion] [13]. He succeeded in hiding at Sofia metropolitan Stefan’s place. He was among the people who actively opposed the deportation of Jews.
A lot of Jews who were scared for their lives converted to Christianity. Yet, the police and the fascists issued an order that the newly converted Jews would be treated in accordance with the Law for the Protection of the Nation [14], just like the non-converted Jews and regardless of their conversion. I have to mention that the Christian churches were like centers of anti-Semitism all over the world. This not only happened among Catholics but also in Russia where they practiced Eastern Orthodox Christianity. A notion was spread that the Jews crucified Jesus ignoring the fact that he was actually a Jew himself. They used to say, ‘Christ, our God, was crucified by the Jews,’ and this spread hatred against Jews among the masses. Children were also told the same thing. Anti-Semitism had been implanted on other grounds as well. Jews were quite skilled in their professions and I’m not praising myself. For example, if we take the doctors: a Jewish doctor often had a lot of patients and the other doctors envied him. This became a basis for anti-Semitism. So, here in Bulgaria there were manifestations of anti-Semitism.
There were rumors among the Bulgarians that during Pesach the Jews took a child, put it in a nailed-up casket and sucked dry its blood, because we needed blood for our rituals. Therefore, some superstitious and ignorant women would say, ‘Let me take my children home.’ Yet, there were provocations, i.e. some Christians deliberately kidnapped a child, hid it somewhere for some time so that people would think that the Jews had stolen it. There were such cases of outrage against Jews in Vratsa and in some other towns. These were separate cases, and it wasn’t a common phenomenon. As a whole Bulgarians and Jews coexist well and keep good relations. Of course, speaking about Bulgarians, I don’t mean the entire nation, because back then fascist organizations existed, which used to chase the Jews. In 1940 a lot of Jewish shop windows were broken during a persecution of Jews. Therefore we say, ‘If there are Jews, there is anti-Semitism.’ We can’t compare the local manifestations of anti-Semitism with the ones in Ukraine, Russia, Hungary and France. As early as the Middle Ages, Jews had settled in Bulgaria because they led a calmer life, unlike in other places.
A lot of Jews who were scared for their lives converted to Christianity. Yet, the police and the fascists issued an order that the newly converted Jews would be treated in accordance with the Law for the Protection of the Nation [14], just like the non-converted Jews and regardless of their conversion. I have to mention that the Christian churches were like centers of anti-Semitism all over the world. This not only happened among Catholics but also in Russia where they practiced Eastern Orthodox Christianity. A notion was spread that the Jews crucified Jesus ignoring the fact that he was actually a Jew himself. They used to say, ‘Christ, our God, was crucified by the Jews,’ and this spread hatred against Jews among the masses. Children were also told the same thing. Anti-Semitism had been implanted on other grounds as well. Jews were quite skilled in their professions and I’m not praising myself. For example, if we take the doctors: a Jewish doctor often had a lot of patients and the other doctors envied him. This became a basis for anti-Semitism. So, here in Bulgaria there were manifestations of anti-Semitism.
There were rumors among the Bulgarians that during Pesach the Jews took a child, put it in a nailed-up casket and sucked dry its blood, because we needed blood for our rituals. Therefore, some superstitious and ignorant women would say, ‘Let me take my children home.’ Yet, there were provocations, i.e. some Christians deliberately kidnapped a child, hid it somewhere for some time so that people would think that the Jews had stolen it. There were such cases of outrage against Jews in Vratsa and in some other towns. These were separate cases, and it wasn’t a common phenomenon. As a whole Bulgarians and Jews coexist well and keep good relations. Of course, speaking about Bulgarians, I don’t mean the entire nation, because back then fascist organizations existed, which used to chase the Jews. In 1940 a lot of Jewish shop windows were broken during a persecution of Jews. Therefore we say, ‘If there are Jews, there is anti-Semitism.’ We can’t compare the local manifestations of anti-Semitism with the ones in Ukraine, Russia, Hungary and France. As early as the Middle Ages, Jews had settled in Bulgaria because they led a calmer life, unlike in other places.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Yosif Avram Levi