DANCING IN THE STREETS: THE STORY OF THE BULGARIAN JEWS
March 9, 1943 in a large tobacco warehouse In Kyustendil Bulgaria, a giant of a man in a tall miter hat and a long robe
stood among one thousand of his countrymen. In a booming voice that carried throughout the crowd he recited scripture from the Book of Ruth: “I will not leave you or turn away. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God, my God.”
The man was Archbishop Kyril. The people were Jews.
Bulgaria is a country whose people have been conquered over and over again. Throughout history,
Greeks, Czechs, Slovaks, of all religions were welcome immigrants to Bulgaria. This nation grew strong in diversity and its citizens loyal to King and country, loyal to each other.
At the time of our story, even the beloved King Boris III was a first generation Bulgarian. His father King Ferdinand I was from nearby Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He got the job after the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1887. That’s when Bulgaria got its independence back.
But not
for long. Real estate changed hands often in Bulgaria’s corner of the world. Following defeat in World War I, King Boris lost parts of his land. He was anxious to get it back. He made a deal with the devil in the form of Nazi leader Adolph Hitler of Germany. An evil man with an evil plan.
The King agreed to be an ally of Germany. Bulgaria would not have to fight in another war and the German army would provide protection against its enemies. That’s why the deal with
Germany seemed like a good one at the time. By aligning himself with the Third Reich, he was promised peace and the restoration of former territories. King Boris III was an avowed pacifist. It worked for a while.
Bulgaria was doing pretty good – all things considered. In addition to the royal family, there was a sound government structure, staffed with ministers, commissioners and local leaders serving their constituents. If you traveled through the cities at that time
you would find parks, libraries, sports arenas, and cultural institutions for music and art lovers to enjoy. The countryside was a friendly place with farms and small towns where people gathered to trade and lodge, and of course, to find fun after an honest day’s labor.
But one thing missing in Bulgaria prior to the Second World War was anti-Semitism. It was one of a few countries where Jews at that time lived peacefully among their non-Jewish neighbors.
Nearly all of the countries in Europe had a problem with “their Jews”. Hitler’s infamous rise to power relied heavily on using Jewish citizens as scapegoats for the economic woes of the times. “Look at the evil Jews!” the Nazis would say. “Their race is inferior to ours, yet they steal our money, take our jobs, and deceive us at every turn.”
Some Bulgarians were listening. They liked the idea of an Aryan master race. Three such men were
Bogdan Filov, Petar Gabrovski and Alexander Belev. These were men of influence...
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