The anniversary of the saving of some 50,000 Bulgarian Jews, on 9 March 1943, was marked in recent days in Bulgaria with various celebrations. Christian and Jewish representatives, together with politicians and foreign guests, commemorated the gesture of courage of the Bulgarian people who opposed the deportation of thousands of their fellow-citizens of Jewish origin to the death-camps of Poland. The guests at the commemoration included President of the Republic Gheorghi Parvanov and former Israeli President Izhak Navin. The most important ceremonies were held last Saturday and Sunday in the synagogue of Sofia and in the monastery of Bâckovo (20 km from Plovdiv). In the synagogue of Sofia the Jewish community received the gift of a silver Torah. During his message of thanksgiving, Rabbi Behor Kahlon expressed the wish “that the Lord’s hand may always guide the Bulgarian people”, while former president Izhak Navon expressed the gratitude of the Jews. On 10 March, the day set aside for the commemoration of the Holocaust, a lesson was given in all schools to explain the importance of the event in Bulgarian history.
