site.btaGERB-UDF Highlights Moral Courage of Holocaust Rescuers

The GERB-UDF parliamentary group issued a declaration on Tuesday as Bulgaria marked the Day of Rescue of Bulgarian Jews and of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust and of the Crimes against Humanity. The declaration was read out in the debating chamber of the National Assembly by the group’s Yordanka Fandakova, who chairs the Committee on Foreign Policy.

According to GERB-UDF, the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps during World War II was an extraordinary act of courage, moral determination, humanity, and solidarity, which remains forever inscribed in the historical memory of the Bulgarian people.

The group noted that 83 years ago, politicians, clergy, diplomats, intellectuals, and a wide circle of public figures opposed the deportation of the Bulgarian Jews, reflecting the tolerance and sense of justice of the Bulgarian nation. Particularly significant was the role of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dimitar Peshev, and a group of members of parliament who stood against the deportations and demanded moral and political accountability from the state, declaration said.

“The position of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was also decisive, with Metropolitans Kiril and Stefan demonstrating remarkable spiritual strength. Their voices, along with those of numerous Bulgarian public figures, became a powerful moral corrective during the darkest and most difficult time for Europe and the world,” Fandakova said on behalf of GERB-UDF. “Thanks to their timely efforts, nearly 50,000 Bulgarian Jews were saved. This is an unprecedented example in world history during the years of the Holocaust. But today is also a day of humility and remembrance for those deported from Aegean Thrace, Vardar Macedonia, and the town of Pirot.”

“Today, it is our duty to preserve the memory of the rescue and of the victims, and to teach younger generations the lessons of history — that human dignity, solidarity, and civic courage can change the course of history,” the declaration said.