News - Poland, Warsaw, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria

On November 8, 2023, the second part of the Embassy's program in Warsaw was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Warsaw, within the framework of the National Program for Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Rescue of Bulgarian Jews during World War II, with the participation of Prof. Todor Tanev from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", dedicated to the history of Bulgarian Jews, with an emphasis on the period of World War II.

The event was organized by the Embassy jointly with the Jewish Historical Institute "Emanuel Ringelblum" in Warsaw.

The event began with an introductory speech by Ambassador Margarita Ganeva, who thanked the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, whose leadership accepted the proposal for active cooperation on topics of common interest and who were co-organizers of this event. She also addressed the director of the Treblinka Museum and his entire team, with whom the Embassy established very good cooperation. Ambassador Ganeva presented in the context of the priority of Bulgarian diplomacy in a broader context related to the topic:

Bulgaria's recent election, for the second time, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the period 2024-2026;
Bulgaria's membership in the Executive Board of UNICEF (2023-2025) and the Executive Board of UN Women (2023-2025);
Bulgaria follows a consistent line of combating hatred and intolerance, including all manifestations of anti-Semitism. Combating anti-Semitism is one of the leading priorities of our foreign policy in the field of human rights.
In 2018, Bulgaria became a full member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The adoption of the first National Action Plan to Combat Anti-Semitism in Bulgaria is being prepared.
The importance of the salvation of Bulgarian Jews was emphasized, acquainting those present with the historical past of the Bulgarian embassy building in Warsaw, where in the period 1939-1941, mission employees Trifon Pukhlev, Krum Tsokov and Dimitar Ikonomov helped hundreds of Polish citizens, including those of Jewish origin, to leave Poland under Nazi occupation.

This was followed by a presentation by Professor Dr. Todor Tanev, a prominent Bulgarian political scientist and specialist in the field of Jewish studies, former Minister of Education and Science, founder and head of the Center for Jewish Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". In it, he emphasized the tradition of tolerance in Bulgarian society and the active position of representatives of various social strata, organizations, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which made the salvation of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust possible. He also focused on the lessons of this successful, unique in Europe systematic action of a people to save their Jewish fellow citizens, for today and for new generations. Prof. Tanev's lecture aroused the strong interest of those present and was followed by questions from them.

Among the participants in the event were the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Mr. Jarosław Lindenberg, the Deputy Ombudsman of the Republic of Poland Mr. Valeri Vachev /who is of Bulgarian origin/, as well as the Director of the Treblinka Museum Mr. Edvard Kopówka, the Deputy Director of the Jewish Historical Institute "E. Ringelblum" Mr. Dariusz Lipowski, Polish and foreign diplomats, representatives of academic circles and members of the Bulgarian community.

On November 9, 2023, Prof. Todor Tanev visited the headquarters of the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, where he held a meeting with the director of the institute, Dr. Monika Kravchik, with the aim of exchanging experience and discussing the possibilities for establishing cooperation between the Center for Jewish Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" led by Prof. Tanev and the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.