“Undoubtedly, the fight against forgetting is more relevant today than ever, because fewer and fewer witnesses of the Holocaust remain among us, and anti-Semitism periodically emerges from the darkest depths of modern societies,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Velislava Petrova at a ceremony held on 27 January 2022 at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
The event was jointly organized by the Embassy of Israel, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was dedicated to the commemoration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date is associated with the liberation in 1945 of the largest death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and symbolizes the veneration of the memory of more than six million victims of the Holocaust.
The event was attended by the President of the National Assembly, the Ambassadors of Israel and Germany to Bulgaria, the Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, representatives of the Jewish community and organizations in Bulgaria, scholars from Cambridge and Bar–Ilan universities, public figures and representatives of many Bulgarian agencies, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Sofia. Candles were ritually lit in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, and the program was complemented by musical performances, a screening of a Holocaust survivor’s memoir, and an exhibition by the Yad Vashem Institute.
In her speech, Deputy Minister Petrova stressed that Bulgaria is strongly committed to combating anti-Semitism, which is one of the main foreign policy priorities in the field of human rights. The activity of our country in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance was noted, as well as the forthcoming work on the implementation of the specific commitments announced within the International Anti-Semitism Forum in Malmö in 2021.
