A very special concert and cocktail was held on March 5, 2023, devoted to the celebration of the 145th National Day of Bulgaria and the 80th anniversary of the salvation of the Bulgarian Jews. The Festive occasion was held by the Embassy of Bulgaria in Israel under the patronage of Ambassador Rumiana Bachvarova at Enav Cultural Center in Tel Aviv.
The event started with Celebration of Bulgarian worldwide known cuisine by indulging in some of its traditional refreshments. The favorites include: banitsa that in Israel is well known as “burecas” (ladino translation), shopska traditional salat, lovely Bulgarian cheese-asorti , lyutenista , etc. delicious . The glory was a fantastic Bulgarian wine gift from Winery "TODOROFF”, located in the heart of the Thrace Region (red and white)
The wines are watered with great success due to their style, finesse and aroma.
The ceremony was initiated with the National Anthems of both countries : Bulgaria and Israel
Ambassador Rumiana Bachvarova opened the 145th anniversary of Independence of Bulgaria and 80th anniversary of rescue of Bulgarian Jews, with deeply touching words in Hebrew, Bulgarian and English. "Bulgaria is one of Europe's oldest countries, founded in the seventh century (681 AD). Ambassador Bachvarova explained the importance of choosing March 3, as Independence Day of Bulgaria, where Bulgarian all over the world celebrate the 145th anniversary of its liberation from Ottoman rule. For Bulgarians the memories for the dark Ottoman era of 500 years of genocide are painful and traumatic.
Ambassador Bachvarova expressed deep respect and gratitude to distinguished audience: the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Chief of Protocol Ambassador Gil Haskel Ambassadors and Embassies staff representatives of EU delegation to Israel H.E Dimiter Tzantchev, a native of Bulgaria, European Union's Ambassador to Israel, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania Dr. Radu Ioanid, Ambassador of Rwanda Mr. James Gatera, Ambassador of Georgia Mr. Lasha Zhvania, Ambassador of Croatia to Israel Vesela Mrden Korac, Deputy Ambassadors of Israel in Bulgaria Mr. Shaul Kamisa and Mr. David Cohen ( who also serves as chairman of “Salvador”) ,Professor Dan Shechtman, Nobel laureate in Chemistry and Chairman of Yehud Olei Bulgaria in Israel Mr. Itzhak Itzhak , Knesset, business, culture and academy representatives as Prof. Michael Bar Zohar (former MK) sand Ms. Antoaneta Levy also with Bulgarian roots, Yad VaShem holocaust museum representative Mr. Angel Chorapchiev and many others distinguished guests as well, “for being with at such an important, historic day where before 145 years was born "new and modern Bulgaria, the III Bulgarian state".
"The friendship ties from Bulgaria and Israel stay stronger than ever" said Ambassador Bachvarova, with mutual fruitful cooperation in areas of tourism, health, culture, etc. The Large business Israeli-Bulgarian forum will be held these days in Israel.
Members of the National Assembly, church and Bulgarian people wrote the bravest story keeping Bulgarians Jews alive in IIWW. Today we also marked the 80th anniversary of the salvation of the Bulgarian Jews.
Ms. Bachvarova continued - "This is the lesson we learned. Thank you for the hard work to keep the memories. Thank you for this how here in Israel we learn of the heroic Bulgarian people save their Jews, the fact labeled with the flag of higher democratic values. We Bulgarians are proud to save our Jews brothers and sisters, we also keep the memory of those terrible acts that Jews from North Macedonia, Saloniki, Yugoslavia were sent to Treblinka.
Under the leadership of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and other noteworthy individuals who resisted a deal between the Bulgarian government and the Nazi regime, nearly 50,000 Jews living in Bulgaria were saved from certain death.
We remember the wonderful actions of the Bulgarian people, which in my opinion is just as wonderful if not more so in certain aspects. True, 11,000 Jews were not saved in Macedonia and other areas, but more than 50,000—and from what you’ve told me, perhaps many more—were saved in an astonishing act, when waves of people came and blocked the train tracks with their bodies. No one blocked the train tracks in other places in Europe, not any other place, but in Bulgaria they blocked the tracks with their bodies—teachers, priests, writers, farmers, all prevented the destruction with their bodies.
We mark the Bulgarian people's heroism today, because on March 10, 1943, thousands of Jews who had been rounded up for deportation were freed from concentration centers. In the face of widespread protests, the government had rescinded its deportation order the day before. That same month, however, Bulgarian authorities deported 11,343 Jews from parts of Greece and Yugoslavia, occupied by the Bulgarian Army. While we celebrate the rescue of Bulgaria’s Jews, we mourn and commemorate those whom Bulgaria sent to their death in Treblinka. Delegation from Bulgarian Jewish community in Israel will attend an annual memorial service on 10 March at the Monument of Gratitude in Sofia Bulgaria to marked the 80th years of the deportation of 11,343 of Jews living in Bulgarian-administered lands (Serbia, North Macedonia and Thessaloniki) to
Members of the National Assembly, church and Bulgarian people wrote the bravest story keeping Bulgarians Jews alive in IIWW. Today we also marked the 80th anniversary of the salvation of the Bulgarian Jews.
Ms. Bachvarova continued - "This is the lesson we learned. Thank you for the hard work to keep the memories. Thank you for this how here in Israel we learn of the heroic Bulgarian people save their Jews, the fact labeled with the flag of higher democratic values. We Bulgarians are proud to save our Jews brothers and sisters, we also keep the memory of those terrible acts that Jews from North Macedonia, Saloniki, Yugoslavia were sent to Treblinka.
Under the leadership of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and other noteworthy individuals who resisted a deal between the Bulgarian government and the Nazi regime, nearly 50,000 Jews living in Bulgaria were saved from certain death.
We remember the wonderful actions of the Bulgarian people, which in my opinion is just as wonderful if not more so in certain aspects. True, 11,000 Jews were not saved in Macedonia and other areas, but more than 50,000—and from what you’ve told me, perhaps many more—were saved in an astonishing act, when waves of people came and blocked the train tracks with their bodies. No one blocked the train tracks in other places in Europe, not any other place, but in Bulgaria they blocked the tracks with their bodies—teachers, priests, writers, farmers, all prevented the destruction with their bodies.
We mark the Bulgarian people's heroism today, because on March 10, 1943, thousands of Jews who had been rounded up for deportation were freed from concentration centers. In the face of widespread protests, the government had rescinded its deportation order the day before. That same month, however, Bulgarian authorities deported 11,343 Jews from parts of Greece and Yugoslavia, occupied by the Bulgarian Army. While we celebrate the rescue of Bulgaria’s Jews, we mourn and commemorate those whom Bulgaria sent to their death in Treblinka. Delegation from Bulgarian Jewish community in Israel will attend an annual memorial service on 10 March at the Monument of Gratitude in Sofia Bulgaria to marked the 80th years of the deportation of 11,343 of Jews living in Bulgarian-administered lands (Serbia, North Macedonia and Thessaloniki) to
Treblinka"
.
"We will never forget", said Honorary Consul to Bulgaria, Mr. Moni Bar: "that brave Bulgarian people saved us, their Jews brothers and sisters. This is unique example for all nations how can live together, in one multi
culture peaceful and friendship atmosphere. The heroic actions of Bulgarians 80" years ago show the power of standing up and standing together".
“Bulgaria and Bulgarians is a great attach with history bonds with Israel” said in his speech Mr. Gil Haskel, Chief of State Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State of Israel. “The sky is a limited between us: in Economy, security, water, tourism, etc. areas of mutual interest and a good will from both and will help us to achieve many of our goals. As a husband of Israeli Jew with Bulgarian roots, I can declarate that “you can
never appreciate enough of the brave Bulgarian people save their Jews lives. If more countries had acted like Bulgaria and the example of its heroic people, our history would have been written in a different way”.
Ms. Bachvarova presented a gift to the listeners with a wonderful selection of great works of famous Bulgarian composer with Jews roots Pancho Vladigerov. Vladigerov is arguably the most influential Bulgarian
composer of all time. He was one of the first to successfully combine idioms of Bulgarian folk music and classical music. Part of the so-called Second Generation Bulgarian Composers, he was among the founding members of the Bulgarian Contemporary Music Society (1933), which later became the Union of Bulgarian Composers. His mother Dr. Eliza Pasternak was a Russian Jew. His father Dr. Haralan Vladigerov was a Bulgarian lawyer and a politician. Pancho's maternal grandfather, Leon Pasternak, a Russian Jew who left Odessa and settled in Zurich a few years before Pancho's birth, was a very influential figure in Pancho's musical development and later success. Vladigerov composed in 1951 his great symphony, the "Jewish Poem", Opus 47. with which was opened the concert. This symphony received in 1952 the highest honor given by the Bulgarian Government to an artist, the Dimitrov Prize, and earned him the admiration of his fellow musicians: "A work like this is written only once in a hundred years", Dmitri Shostakovich exclaimed.
A concert by the Vladigerov Trio in Tel Aviv was include very precious repertoire dedicated to the 145th anniversary and 80th years of the commemorating the salvation of Bulgarian Jews by the Bulgarian people during World War II. Ekaterina, Alexander and Konstantin Vladigerov also dedicated the concert program to the memory of their grandfather - the famous composer Pancho Vladigerov, on the occasion of the 124th anniversary of his birth - March 13, 1899.
We were honored to hear the grandchildren of the great Bulgarian composer founders of Trio Vladigerov. They gave the audience unforgettable moments with their wonderful bursts in a multi-spectral style in the spirit of compositions skillfully combining Bulgarian folk music with classical, jazz, klezmer, Idish and ladino.
We were honored to hear the grandchildren of the great Bulgarian composer founders of Trio Vladigerov. They gave the audience unforgettable moments with their wonderful bursts in a multi-spectral style in the spirit of compositions skillfully combining Bulgarian folk music with classical, jazz, klezmer, Idish and ladino.
Guests applauded the performers for a long time and did not want to part with their virtuous music
.
Thank you, Ambassador Bachvarova, for unforgettable evening
In adition of the National Day, The Ambassador Rumiana Bachvarova held a few days ago ( on 26-02 ) at the ANU Museum, a very emotive panel " Memories for the Future", event by hearing and telling about the experience of those days, the Rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War as an eternal lesson of humanity and courage to pass on to future generations.
The Director and staff of Diplomacy.co.il and Mrs. Tony Levy, External relations ,President Office HIT Holon Institute of Technology, Lecturer Culture HeritageTechnologies share their good wishes to the Ambassador, Embassy Staff and to the people of Bulgaria on this memorable occasion
Photos by Silvia Graciela Golan
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