Rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during World War II

80 years ago, nearly 50 000 Bulgarian Jews escaped the biggest atrocities of the Holocaust and were saved from deportation thanks to the incredible feat of a small group of politicians, clergymen, intellectuals and ordinary people who stood up for their Jewish compatriots.

The dramatic story of persecution and defense, tragedy and civil courage is filled with many questions which we will try to find an answer to together with Dr. Rumyana Marinova-Christidi, Associate Professor and Head of the Hebrew Studies at Sofia University, and Simon Kratholm Ankjærgaard, historian and journalist, author of the book "Oktober 1943" about the Danish Jews' escape to Sweden during WWII.

Join us to learn more about the complex historical events that took place in Bulgaria during World War II and the people whose extraordinary acts of bravery led to the rescue of the entire Bulgarian Jewish population from deportation. We will talk about the tragic fate of the nearly 12,000 deported Jews from Thrace and Macedonia, administered by Bulgaria at that time, and will discuss how we live with and learn from our past today when the shadow of antisemitism and discrimination is reminding us of its presence once again.

The event will also feature an exhibition prepared by the Bulgarian National Library about the lives of the Jewish community in Bulgaria from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The Bulgarian experience and history will provide new perspectives on the history of the escape and rescue of the Danish Jews in an international perspective.