The final week of the Bulgarian-Norwegian project
Mid-July for the State Institute for Culture was marked by a series of activities to mark the calendar completion of the Anti-Semitism and Preservation of Jewish Heritage project.
1. On July 14, 2023, the "Posters and Memory" exhibition, created by 12 authors after a creative workshop held in April in the city, was opened in the Bayrakli Mosque in Samokov. The director of the Institute, Mrs. Snezhana Joveva, thanked the hosts - the mayor of the city, Vladimir Georgiev, and the director of the Historical Museum, Dr. Veselin Hadjiangelov, for their willingness to be partners in this project. It is dedicated to such an important topic as preserving the memory of the public opposition to the plans to exterminate our Jewish compatriots eight decades ago and looking at the diversity of our culture. These artists became familiar with the legacy of Samokov, and in their person the city will have convinced friends, she said.
2. On July 17, in the BTA press club, the Diplomatic Institute organized the final presentation of the results of the project "Strategic cooperation between Bulgaria and Norway in support of Bulgaria's international commitments to combat anti-Semitism and preserve Jewish heritage":
• The Director of the Diplomatic Institute, Ms. Tanya Mihailova, presented the results of the project activities assigned to the Institute, including a survey of public opinion providing information on public attitudes towards anti-Semitism in Bulgaria; creating a thematic research network on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism through public and expert forums; publications on the topics related to the initiative such as the first complete edition of "The Origin of Totalitarianism" by Hannah Arendt in Bulgarian; creation of an integrated digital platform of the project; opening and closing event.
• The first of its kind in Bulgaria, the National Plan for Combating Anti-Semitism will be considered by the Council of Ministers, said Angel Banzhov, director of the Human Rights Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the final press conference on the project. In the survey, we found that overall we have a rather positive picture. The levels of anti-Semitism in Bulgaria are lower than in other countries. In Bulgaria, the high degree of integration of the Bulgarian Jews in every aspect of life is traditionally maintained, and the contribution of the Jews to the development of Bulgaria and Bulgarian society is highly valued, he also pointed out. In Bulgarian society, we found that despite positive attitudes, some people's knowledge of other people is not always deep enough.
• Presenting the activities of the State Institute for Culture under the project, the director Snezhana Joveva-Dimitrova emphasized precisely this leading line - much more can be done for the study of the issues of heritage and the reflection of history in the modern dimensions of our society as a barrier against manifestations of anti-Semitism. For these 24 months, the Institute has worked on over 20 projects, partnered with over 300 experts from heritage institutions, academic research and public processes, with artists and representatives of civil organizations. More than 35 creative products have been created, which will continue their way to national and foreign audiences even after the completion of this project. They already have a meeting with the public in recent months - and we estimate it to be nearly three thousand spectators, pointed out Mrs. Yoveva-Dimitrova.
Several of the creative products were presented - highlights from the program of the State Institute for Culture. The participants in the press conference agreed that this was only a formal end to the activities of the project, while remaining Bulgaria's permanent commitment to countering anti-Semitic manifestations and popularizing the Jewish heritage, especially in the context of commemorating the 80th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews this year.
3. On July 21 - Friday, near the monument to the Salvation of the Bulgarian Jews in front of the facade of the National Art Academy in Sofia, a version of the "Posters and Memory" exhibition was presented. This meeting of the creative products with the audience in the capital is the fifth in a row after presentations in Burgas, Plovdiv, Sliven and Samokov, and we had the opportunity to be together with the majority of the authors. The exhibition is inspired by the message of humanism and opposition to anti-Semitism, which the story of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews carries 80 years ago. The posters of Anna Simeonova, Ivan Kashlakov, Kiril Zlatkov, Lyuba Tomova, Margarita Doncheva, Maya Staykova, Mila Lozanova, Nenko Atanasov, Petar Chuchuligov, Radoslava Boor, Strahil Dimitrov and the Hungarian master of the socially engaged poster Peter Pozch are presented. The result is a collection - an expression of the civil and creative reaction against anti-Semitism and violence, against any form of disrespect for human dignity and the right to life.
4. On the same day, the State Institute for Culture opens doors for its partners in project activities to share impressions and ideas for our next joint activities.