The fate of Jews in Bulgaria, and in countries and territories under Bulgarian State administration during World War II

Date : June 9th and 10th 2013

Venue : Shoah Memorial, Paris

This symposium is organised by EHRI partner Mémorial de la Shoah, in cooperation with CERI/ Sciences-PO.

The recognition by all the European nations of the unprecedented character of Holocaust and acceptance of making it a common European narrative remains a major issue.

In 2013, the Shoah Memorial wishes, by a serial of academic events, to commemorate the year 1943 and the Holocaust in South-East Europe. Within this framework, the Shoah Memorial intends to give the floor to historians working on the fate of Jews in Bulgaria, and in countries and territories under Bulgarian State administration during World War II.

In spring 1943, the almost 50.000 Jews of Bulgaria, despite the State persecution they had been suffering, thanks to the mobilization of the civil society and prominent personalities of the country, escaped deportation to the death camps. Jews of Macedonia, Thrace, and a small part of Serbia, all these territories under Bulgarian administration since 1941 (Bulgaria in this time was an ally of Nazi Germany), will not meet this outcome and will be murdered, most of them in Treblinka. This was the case for almost 99% of the Jews who had lived in the territories of what is F.Y.R of Macedonia today.

A highly important and crucial issue which the Shoah Memorial wishes to discuss and share with historians on this occasion is the complexities of the remembrance process in this part of Europe. In the last years, the Shoah Memorial have witnessed a renewal of historical research in Bulgaria. A new vision and reading of the past is emerging. This important evolution should be better known in France and in Europe. The opening of the Holocaust Museum in Skopje also bears witness to the salience of issues relating to the commemoration of the past.

For the programme and booking >> Holocaust in South-East Europe.