Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Two exhibitions in Sofia on horror of Auschwitz and on Jews saved by diplomacy and self-sacrifice

БНР Новини
Photo: institutpolski.org

#WeRemember is the title that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs chose this year to show respect to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 27th. More than 120 employees from all departments of the ministrytook part in the initiative and published a joint photo with the message "We remember!" Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva recalled the events linked to the saving of 48,000 Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War. According to her, this act of the Bulgarian people will always be remembered by the entire international community. "On this day, the most important thing is to give an example with our personal actions that the language of hatred and violence is absolutely unacceptable," Minister Ekaterina Zaharievasaid at the opening of the exhibition“Beyond Duty”,dedicated to the victims of the death camps, in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It sheds light on the work of 36 diplomats from 21 countries who saved hundreds of Jews risking their own lives during the Second World War. The exhibition was specially prepared for Sofia by the Embassy of Israel and is a project of YadVashem - the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. On this occasion, the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom”honored Bulgarians in the framework of their campaign "75 years - the unforgettable faces of the rescue".

At the time when Bulgaria marks 75 years since saving its Jews, another exhibition was presented in Sofia by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland, which this year marks its 70th anniversary. The German Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau is the most recognizable symbol of the Holocaust and the most notorious place of genocide in the world. In 2005, at the 60th anniversary since the camp was liberated, the UN General Assembly declared January 27th International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In order to put on display the exhibition "People and Events. 70 years of activity of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum”, its deputy head Andrzej Kaczojik arrived in Sofia. He recalled that this museum was opened as a result of the efforts of former prisoners and the formal act that established it was the law adopted by the Polish Sejm in 1947 for remembering the "suffering of the Polish people and other peoples." Then part of the camp complex was turned into a museum that is a monument and a testimony of the Nazi crimes in occupied Poland.

The main mission of the museum is focusing on educational activities, preserving the memoriesof survivors, as well as the preservation and maintenance of everything left from the former death camp. The exhibition "People and Events" is on display at the Polish Cultural Institute in Sofia and will remain there until February 15th.

English: Alexander Markov




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The animals at the Burgas Zoo are awaiting gifts from Santa Claus

On December 25, Santa Claus will be giving gifts to the animals at the Burgas Zoo. There will also be a festive tour of the zoo and a zoo quiz with gifts for the children, said the Municipality of Burgas. The event is part of the zoo's festive..

published on 12/23/24 6:50 AM

Knitting enthusiasts unite in a community to preserve the traditional craft

The making of knitted products is a traditional craft that deserves a revival and a new life, believes Alexandrina Pandurska, known for her numerous initiatives to popularize cultural and historical places in the Blagoevgrad region. According to her..

published on 12/22/24 9:05 AM

Residents of village of Zmeyovo celebrate pelin wine whose recipe they jealously guard

The village of Zmeyovo near the town of Stara Zagora is celebrating today, December 21, its traditional Festival of Pelin Wine. According to an old Bulgarian custom, guests will be welcomed with bread and salt on the square in front of the..

published on 12/21/24 9:25 AM