Bishop Boris Kharalampiev: "I was the bishop in the town of  Pazardjick. Among the Jews I had many friends. 

There were no disagreements between Bulgarians and Jews.   The Jews had a school, a large synagogue. No one disturbed them in the practice of their beliefs.

Because it is criminal to impose your spiritual beliefs on your fellow man.

It’s criminal!"

Vera Kocheva: Jews were our friends, our close brothers, our soul mates. My best friend, who has remained my most cherished friend all my life, is Rachelle Alkalai. She is Jewish.  

The persecution of the Jews started with banning them from the main streets.  I suffered from our government’s attitude towards the Jews. So, I started going with them to protest meetings

I went to the synagogue.  I even wore the yellow star when I was with Jews—out of solidarity, out of sorrow at seeing our dearest friends being insulted. 

David Eskin, Music Dealer, USA and Israel

David Eskin: "We couldn’t go out in the street after 9:00 in the evening, till 6 next morning, which made us virtually prisoners.

And then they introduced the Jewish star—yellow star— which we were forced to wear all the time.

In our band there were four Jewish fellows, out of 10, giving concerts. 

Every Sunday we gave concerts.  And this, for the morale of the Jews, was unbelievable . . .  

 . . . to give them a little bit spirit."

Ika Comforty: "After our radio was confiscated, I read in the newspaper about a degree program for kindergarten teachers. I thought I’d apply. 

My father said, 'What a pity. They won’t admit you. . . Jews are not allowed in any university level programs.”'

I said, 'I’ll go anyway.  If they don’t admit me, they don’t admit me.'

Penka Kassabova: "I was director of a school that prepared kindergarten teachers.  We were giving an admissions test, and four young Jewish women applied.  One of them was your mother, Ika.  

The four passed the exams, but one of the committee asked,  'But what about the Jewish stars?'

I said: 'No problem. Our school has always been democratic; should we too give in to the Hitler madness?

And we admitted all four of them."

David Eskin: We were all mobilized, young men between 18-56,
to go to labor camps, forced labor camps.  I dug stones. I had to break stones.  You know, you have to put stones on the railroad bedding.  And we used to do the work, three men—one loading, one digging, and one unloading it.  It was a very difficult job.  

The guards were former policemen and former officers of the labor force. The attitude was not bad, not brutal. Once the manager chased me all around.   I was faster than he was. He couldn’t catch me. But he chased me.

There were some beatings but not very very brutal. We used to go in the river and with ice cold water to wash your stuff. And the toilet facilities were a disaster. And we used to sleep in tents,  50, 60 in a tent. Very narrow. And we got lice you know, and then also bed bugs. 

Niko Nissimov, Pharmacist and Musician, Israel

Niko Nissimiv: At the end of 1941, in Bulgaria there was the Nazi regime. Jewish pharmacists, doctors, and lawyers, were not allowed to work. They took me to serve in forced labor as a pharmacist in the town of Xanti in occupied Thrace. And I received from them all the respect I deserved as a pharmacist of the hospital. 

I was in Xanti until March 3, 1943. 

At 3 in the morning, they pounded on the door and said, 'Come down immediately. Bring 40 kilos of luggage.' 

And they took us, along with all the Jews of Greece, on the way to Auschwitz" 

Anton Kirilov: "Niko’s friend, Nasko, told me what happened. We decided to look for Niko the next day. We met at the train station the next morning. We left with the first train. 

We arrived in the town of Dupnitza, and we went to the Jewish community. They took us to the tobacco warehouse where Niko was held. In the entrance was a big gate. We were left to wait there.  

The yard was an ugly picture: old Jews with beards—poor them!--small children running around, unaware of their fate. And all of a sudden, here comes Niko out of the crowd.  He came, we hugged him. We calmed him down. We said, 'Now that we've found you, we will do everything to free you.'

Niko Nissimiv: We were eleven Jews from Bulgaria, doctors and pharmacists. My two friends went back to the health department in Sofia, and got us transferred. Then, my friends returned and gave us the letters of transit. The guards said, “Ok, leave.  Take a train to where you’ve been stationed.” That was, of course, March, 1943. From March 3^rd through the 14^th, I was on the train on the way to Auschwitz. 

Anton Kirilov: That’s how it was, a terrible period. What a terrible thing to feel chased and persecuted like a dog, like a wild animal. To be searched at any time. . . Yes, everything is behind us—it’s forgotten. In Bulgaria today some people say there was no fascism here during the war.  I beg your pardon? There was no fascism in Bulgaria?

Anton Kirilov, Judge, Bulgaraia

Niko Nissimov and Anton Kirilov, Bulgaria, 1982

Vera Kocheva: When we understood that so many thousands of Jews from Greek Thrace had been deported and exterminated in Germany or in Poland, then we realized that our Jews were afraid that they too would be killed.

So it was then and there that the Bulgarian people shuddered. And we wanted to prevent this disgrace for Bulgaria."

Rubin Dimitrov, Baker, Bulgaria

Mr.Dimitrov is one of 13 Bulgarians recognized by Yad Vashechm as "Righteous Gentiles."  

Rubin Dimitrov: "During the riots of May 24, I saw Jews running from the police.  One couldn’t sit idly by, arms crossed, doing nothing. A true human being is obliged to help.  

I had an idea that I could hide this group of 5 or 6 people. So, I opened the door of my bakery oven to hide these people.

And what were these people guilty of?   Their only guilt was that they were Jews, nothing else."

Nir Baruch: "People make a great effort to show just the positive. And no doubt it is very positive that all 49,000 Bulgarian Jews survived.  

But some 11, 350 did not come back.

Of 11,363 Jews who were deported to the camps in Poland --the residents of Macedonia, Thrace and the city of Pirot— only 12 people survived. 

All the others . . .  

And if the Bulgarian Jews themselves had not found their friends, generations of friends, it’s doubtful their survival would have been assured."

Nir Baruch, Diplomat, Researcher, Israel 

Mr. Baruch is the writer and editor of three books and many publications about  the Bulgarian Jews during World War II and the circumstances of their survival.

Rabbi Avraham Bachar: "From where are such people born? Because of good relationships, the people resisted the Nazis.

The Nazis used to write on Jewish homes and synagogues: “Jude.” By morning, people had already cleaned it. They risked their lives to do this. They risked death! They—the Christians! 

Not us. We were imprisoned in our homes. In secret they brought us rice, potatoes, meat. 

Where can you find such people?"

Bishop Boris Kharalampiev: "You can take everything away from a human being. You can take away his property.  You can take away his life. You can take away his pride. 

His faith you cannot take away. 

For 500 years we were oppressed by the Turks.  They killed.  They robbed. They assaulted the Bulgarian people. Our faith they did not take. And this faith saved us. 

Everyone is entitled to his own faith. No one should violate the intimate, spiritual life of another. 

That’s how I think now, that’s how I have thought in the past, and if I live any longer, that’s how I’ll think then."