The Center for Jewish History hosted a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the rescue of 50 000 Bulgarian Jews during WWII and in honor of all the victims of the Holocaust!

The three-hour commemorative event was co-organized by the Consulate General of Bulgaria, The Center for Jewish History, the Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York (BCENY), the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the American Society for Jewish Music (ASJM), the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and the Mannes Sounds Festival.

The program featured remarks from Michael Leavitt, President of the ASJM, Angel Angelov, Consul General of Bulgaria in New York, Joshua L. Kramer, Director of AJC New York, Prof. Joseph Benatov, University of Pennsylvania, a presentation of a documentary of the movie producer Elka Nikolova, and a concert featuring music by Bulgarian and American composers of Jewish descent, performed by members of the BCENY, and students from the Mannes Sounds Festival.

The musical component of the event was coordinated by prof. Pavlina Dokovska, who was instrumental in the organization of the event. 

The sculpture "Spirit" by the Bulgarian Jewish sculptor Kaya Deckelbaum, celebrating the heroic rescue of the Bulgarian Jews, was prominently displayed.

Over 200 people attended the commemoration.