Presentation of the exhibition 'The Power of Civil Society: The Fate of the Jews in Bulgaria, 1940-1944' in Toledo
The exhibition will be on show from January 23 to February 6 in the landmark Toledo synagogue building, built in the 14th century, and now a museum that is one of the most visited historical and tourist sites in the city.
In the presence of representatives of city and district management, representatives of cultural circles and the media in Toledo, as well as Spanish and Bulgarian citizens, Bulgaria's ambassador noted that the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War was a cause for national pride and a historical example to remember and a moral duty to follow.
The overall lesson from this period of Bulgarian history and the great challenge we are still faced with today is the need to continue to promote a culture of solidarity and tolerance in order to preserve understanding, peace and democracy around the world, he said.
Ambassador Kondov also noted the role of Spanish diplomat Julio Palencia y Tubau, who worked at that time at the Spanish Embassy in Sofia and who rescued hundreds of Jews through his heroism and courage. At the same occasion, he also referred to the important role of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, recently nominated for the Nobel Prize, as well as to Bulgaria's continued engagement in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Speeches were also made by the municipal councilor for tourism at the Toledo Mayor's Office Mrs. Rosa Ana Rodriguez and the director of the Santiago Palomero Museum. The special guest of the opening was the Bulgarian piano virtuoso, Lyudmil Angelov.
The event was covered by three TV channels, the national RTVE, the Autonomous Community of Castilla and La Mancha, and the Toledo channel, to which Ambassador Kondov gave statements. The head of the embassy's cultural service participated together with representatives of the museum in the radio interview with two local radio stations (Castilla-La Mancha and Osama Serro Toledo).
The visit to the Toledo of the exhibition was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Madrid in co-operation with the State Institute for Culture at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria under the Communication Strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 2017.