Perceptions of the Rescue of the Jews and the Holocaust in Bulgaria Today
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Abstract
Over the last 20 years the perception of the Holocaust in Bulgarian society, including by various
historians, is perhaps one of the most complex subjects in the national public space, and even
beyond. The lack of consensus regarding the assessment and perception, as well as in the
presentation and interpretation of historical facts, i.e. of the stories about what happened and what
did NOT happen, prevents a structured history of the events from 1940 to 1944 in the Kingdom of
Bulgaria. In various versions, that are often diametrically opposed, the persecution of Jews is
presented using a hybrid mixture of facts from Bulgarian history of the same period (political,
military, economic relations with Germany and Italy, the partisan resistance movement and
relations with Soviet Russia, the specifics of political parties and political life in Bulgaria, actions
of the Royal Palace and the Parliament), which either have nothing to do with the so-called ‘Jewish
question’ or are only indirectly related to it. False theories of the ‘salvation of the Jews’ continue to
be fabricated from this hybrid mixture of facts into an amalgam, which has many followers who
believe these historical legends and myths over the past two decades.
In this article I will look at some of these recent theories and discuss the reasons for their spread
and, possible motives for the persistent desire within certain circles to impose on society these
“alternate” interpretations of the salvation of the Jews.
historians, is perhaps one of the most complex subjects in the national public space, and even
beyond. The lack of consensus regarding the assessment and perception, as well as in the
presentation and interpretation of historical facts, i.e. of the stories about what happened and what
did NOT happen, prevents a structured history of the events from 1940 to 1944 in the Kingdom of
Bulgaria. In various versions, that are often diametrically opposed, the persecution of Jews is
presented using a hybrid mixture of facts from Bulgarian history of the same period (political,
military, economic relations with Germany and Italy, the partisan resistance movement and
relations with Soviet Russia, the specifics of political parties and political life in Bulgaria, actions
of the Royal Palace and the Parliament), which either have nothing to do with the so-called ‘Jewish
question’ or are only indirectly related to it. False theories of the ‘salvation of the Jews’ continue to
be fabricated from this hybrid mixture of facts into an amalgam, which has many followers who
believe these historical legends and myths over the past two decades.
In this article I will look at some of these recent theories and discuss the reasons for their spread
and, possible motives for the persistent desire within certain circles to impose on society these
“alternate” interpretations of the salvation of the Jews.
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Original Language
Volume/Issue
12(4)
Page Number / Article Number
20-31
Link
Link to article including link to pdf, Perceptions of the Rescue of the Jews and the Holocaust in Bulgaria Today
Bibliographic Information
Perceptions of the Rescue of the Jews and the Holocaust in Bulgaria Today. 2021: 20-31. https://archive.jpr.org.uk/object-2662
