From salvation to Alya: the Bulgarian Jews and Bulgarian-Israeli relations (1948–1990)

Abstract

The basic aim of the present paper is to provide a historical overview of Bulgarian–Israeli relations from 1948 to 1990 (when diplomatic relations were re-established following their break off in 1967), and of Bulgarian state policy towards Jews in the country during the Second World War and the post-war Socialist period. The paper analyses the variety of factors that have affected that ‘triangular relationship’, such as the positive historical legacy of Bulgarian–Jewish relations that contributed to the salvation of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust, and the role and place of Bulgaria and Israel in the cold war confrontation that dominated international politics from the end of the 1940s to 1989.

Keywords:

• Bulgarian Jews
• Communist Bulgaria
• Holocaust
• Bulgarian–Israeli Relations

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr Yorgos Christidis for the English translation of the text from its Bulgarian original. I would also like to express my gratitude for Dr Steven Sage for his editing and useful comments upon the text.

Notes

1. Darzhaven Vestnik, broi 227, 16 October 1944. With article 2 of the Decree-Law, all laws that had been issued in relation to the Jewish question were annulled, among them the Law for the Defense of the Nation, and the Law for the Imposition of a Lump-Sum Tax to Persons of Jewish Origins.

2. Agency established by the United Zionist Organization in Bulgaria in October 1944. Its task was to organize the emigration of Bulgarian Jews in Palestine, but also to assist in the migration of the surviving prisoners of concentration camps from Poland and Hungary and emigrants from Rumania. It ceased to exist with the completion of the emigration.

3. Tsentralen Darzhaven Arhiv (Централен държавен архив), fond 1б, opis. 8, arhivna edinitsa 167, л. 1–2.

4. ‘Evreiski vesti’, broj 214, 5 December 1948.

5. From 1948 onwards, the so-called ‘Stalinist’ model of Stalinism was imposed in Bulgaria, characterized by lack of political pluralism, high centralization of governance, the merging of state with the Communist Party and total control over all aspects of political life; Communist ideology and Marxism-Leninism became dominant. Although officially there was another political party in Bulgaria – the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union (Българският земеделски народен съюз or БЗНС) – it was de facto the Bulgarian Communist Party (Българска Комунистическа Партия or БКП) that was monopolizing power. The whole state mechanism was arranged in such a way as to guarantee its political dominance. Its main executive organs were the Central Committee (Централен комитет or ЦК) and the Politburo (ПБ на ЦК), controlling the activities of all state institutions, including the National Assembly. Ministers, Members of Parliament and all high state officials were members of the Party nomenclature. It was unthinkable for the National Assembly to reject a draft law introduced by the government, or not to vote in unison in favour of the government. For more about the Communist party apparatus see: Lubomir Ognjanov, ‘Politicheskata sistema v Bulgaria 1949–1956’, Standart, Sofia, 2008 (Огнянов, Любомир. ‘Политическата система в България 1949–1956’, „Стандарт”, София, 2008); Iskra Baeva ‘Ideite za izgrazhdane na sotsialisticheska darzhavno-politicheska sistema’, V: Izsledvania po istoria na sotsializma v Bulgaria 1944–1989, tom 2, Sofia, 2010, p. 25–63 (Баева, Искра. „Идеите за изграждане на социалистическа държавно-политическа система” В: Изследвания по история на социализма в България 1944–1989, т. 2, София, 2010, с. 25–63).

6. Archives of the Committee for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Armed Forces (CDDAABCSSIBNAF) (Архив на Комисията за разкриване на документите и за обявяване на принадлежност на български граждани към Държавна сигурност и разузнавателните служби на Българската народна армия -- АКРДОПБГДСРСБНА Р), fond. 9, opis 1, arhivna edinitsa 11, list 10.

7. Archives of the Committee for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Armed Forces (CDDAABCSSIBNAF) (АКРДОПБГДСРСБНА Р), fond. 9, opis 1, arhivna edinitsa 10, list 33–34.

8. Tsentralen Darzhaven Arhiv (Централен държавен архив), fond. 1477, opis. 9, arhivna edinitsa 1547, list 1–5.

9. (‘Evreiski vesti’, broj 323, 4 August 1953)

10. (‘Evreiski vesti’, broj 318, 5 March 1953.

11. (‘Evreiski vesti’, broj. 316, 6 January 1953).

12. Apart from the 15 Israeli citizens, among the passengers of the plane were 12 US citizens, 6 French, 5 Soviet, 4 Canadian, 4 British, 4 South African, 3 West German, 1 Polish, 1 Austrian, 1 Swedish citizen, 1 without citizenship and 1 with unknown citizenship.

13. (‘Evreiski vesti’, broj 347, 3 August 1955).

14. (‘Rabotnichesko delo’, broj 137, 17 May 1967).

15. (‘Rabotnichesko delo’, 24 May 1967).

16. (‘Rabotnichesko delo’, broj 149, 29 May 1967).

17. Tsentralen Darzhaven Arhiv ((Централен държавен архив), fond 136, opis 86, arhivna edinitsa 817, list 6–24.

18. (‘Evreiski vesti’, broj 12, 12 June 1967).

19. Bulgaria was the most loyal Soviet ally of the Eastern Bloc during the cold war period and Bulgarian foreign policy was conducted strictly within the ‘parameters’ set by Moscow concerning the Socialist camp. However, unlike most of the other member states of the Eastern Bloc, where one could find an important tradition of anti-Russian feelings in society, Bulgarian politicians had one huge advantage: the widely spread pro-Russian feelings in Bulgarian society. Bulgarian Russophilia was the one specific feature that allowed the Bulgarian Communist leader, Todor Zhivkov, to present himself in the eyes of all Soviet leaders as a genuine and loyal ally, on whom they could always depend. Zhivkov would cleverly ‘trade’ his loyalty to Moscow for economic benefits, never deviating from Moscow’s positions in international politics, something that also concerned the official Bulgarian position in the Arab–Israeli conflict and the State of Israel.

20. Archives of the Committee for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Servoces of the Bulgarian National Armed Forces (CDDAABCSSIBNAF) (КРДОПБГДСРСБНА-М), fond 1, opis 10, arhivna edinitsa 1969, list 252–289.

21. Archives of the Committee for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Servoces of the Bulgarian National Armed Forces (CDDAABCSSIBNAF) (КРДОПБГДСРСБНА-М), fond 22, opis 1, arhivna edinitsa 177, list 1–2.

22. Archives of the Committee for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Servoces of the Bulgarian National Armed Forces (CDDAABCSSIBNAF) (КРДОПБГДСРСБНА-М), fond 22, opis 1, arhivna edinitsa 177, list 4.