The State Institute for Culture held on November 21 and 22, 2022 a seminar program "Ambassadors of the initiative". The project is part of the initiative "Strategic cooperation between Bulgaria and Norway in support of Bulgaria's international commitments to combat anti-Semitism and the preservation of Jewish heritage". The participants are young leaders of public opinion - journalists from national media, representatives of the non-governmental sector and the diplomatic service, of educational institutions - teachers and students.

In several discussion panels, the goals of the Initiative, the preparation of a National Plan for countering manifestations of xenophobia and the preservation of Jewish heritage, the lessons from the events of the 1940s and the opposition to the plans for the deportation of Bulgarian Jews, the discriminatory measures against our compatriots were presented. They are still important today, when we are faced with the trivialization of hate speech, not only in the anonymous spaces of social networks, but also in the public environment.

Moderators in the panel discussions were experts from the diplomatic service, journalists and historians, experts in the preservation and revitalization of cultural heritage, representatives of the Jewish community - the youth structures of the "Shalom" organization, academic teachers (history and philosophy of sports). Representatives of the National Coordination Unit of the Bilateral Fund of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the Embassy of Israel in Sofia took part in the program.

The challenge of specific examples - the historical events of "persecution and salvation", the contemporary threats of inciting xenophobia and anti-Semitism - became the occasion for lively discussions about the possibilities of developing communication strategies of institutions and organizations, of the educational system. Concrete ideas were also proposed to be integrated into the measures of the National Plan in the sectors of cultural heritage and education.

The joint work with the participants will continue with the implementation of initiatives such as visiting notable places related to the life of the Jewish community, media projects and organizing discussions with a young academic audience.

 

Highlights from the program of discussions

• The institutional framework - why the initiative is implemented in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Plan - scope and directions. Arguments for the positioning of Bulgaria internationally through the topic of the fate of the Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust. The projects of the State Cultural Institute under the initiative.

• The history of "salvation"/persecution and its reflection. The traces of anti-Semitism in the history of our society. What's changing in ratings. How to talk to younger generations about bright/painful pages of history.

• Director Nikolay Stefanov's documentary You Have No Place in Our City (2022) and a discussion of potential hotbeds of radicalization.

• The traces of creativity - what they tell about. Historical and contemporary context. The peculiarities of the ability to recognize and share. Samokov - historical center of a large Jewish community and efforts to preserve and revitalize the heritage. "The Buzludzha Project" - advocacy strategies and integration into international networks.

 • The winning strategy for education. Is the waning of public attitudes towards tolerance a trivialization of hate speech and civil blindness?