On Feb 9, 2023, the United states Jewish Committee (AJC) within Chicago, in partnership with the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Chicago, hosted an event entitled “Light among Darkness: The particular Rescue of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust. ” The program comprised an exhibition along with a panel discussion with the Consul General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Chicago, Svetoslav Stankov, and Prof. Samuel Refetoff, MD, University associated with Chicago, who is a Bulgarian Jew and witness of the events. The insightful dialogue highlighted Bulgaria’s valiant initiatives and success in saving its Jewish community during the World War II. Mr. Stankov mentioned to the representatives of the Judaism and Bulgarian communities in Chicago that the act of salvation is a lesson in humanity that should be honored, since it deeply connects the Bulgarian and Jewish people spiritually and historically, and sets an example for the rest of the world within the fight against anti-Semitism and extremism. He expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to shed light on this act of bravery and tolerance in the middle of the disasters of WWII which is a huge source of national pride for those Bulgarians, because not a single Bulgarian Jew was deported to the Nazi death camps or killed in Bulgaria because of his religion or even ethnicity. The entire Jewish community of Bulgaria, numbering about 50 thousand people, survived WWII. Mr. Stankov also reminded that the Bulgarians remember with particular pain the particular tragic fate of the 11 343 Jews from parts of then Yugoslavia and parts of Northern Greece, who the Bulgarian authorities could not conserve, despite the attempts of various authorities and ordinary citizens.
