The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and the Holocaust shares a complex tapestry of voices of memories previously underrepresented, ignored and denied. An alternative perspective that includes stolen, silenced, but now reclaimed Jewish narrative based on our peoples' experiences. It contextualizes and personalizes our history, reconstructs the puzzle, praises those who helped the Jews and shares their exemplary acts of humanity for future generations.
Jacky Comforty is an award-winning filmmaker, oral historian, and media creator who has worked for over thirty-five years creating films and videos in the United States, Germany, Israel, and Bulgaria. Martha Bloomfield is an award-winning author, oral historian, photographer, and independent scholar who has written several books about immigrants, migrants, and the formerly homeless.
List of Figures Foreword by Omer Bartov Preface Acknowledgments 00 Introduction Part 1 Identity - Who We Are 01 The Jewish Diaspora 02 The Jews of the Iberian Peninsula 03 The Jews of the Balkans 04 Jewish Migration waves to the Balkans 05 Jewish Life 15-19th centuries Part 2 Collective Memory of the Balkan Jews 06 Multicultural Multi religious and multi ethnic Balkans 07 Shared History 08 Religious Tolerance and Freedom of Conscience 09 The Balkan Wars and World War I 10 Bulgarians and Jews 11 Jewish Traditions, Heritage and Community 12 How Life Was 13 Zionism And Patriotism Part 3 The Bulgarian Jews during Hitlerism 1933-1945 14 Clouds on the Horizon 15 Growing Threats 16 Escaping Anti-Semitism 17 Law for the Defense of the Nation 18 The Fox in the Chicken Coop 19 Life under the Swastika: Deteriorating Conditions 20 Jewish Forced Labor Part 4 The Final Solution and Bulgaria 21 Bulgaria Prepares for the Final Solution 22 Deportations 23 Friends and Neighbors 24 Roundups and Continued Resistance 25 Train to Treblinka 26 My Father's Injury Story 27 Between Deportations 28 Deportations and Ghettoization 29 Meanwhile in Labor Camp 30 Resistance 31 Concentration Camps 32 Game of Nerves Part 5 The Silenced Narrative of Bulgaria's Victims 33 Instincts of an Animal-Jennie Lebl's Survival Story 34 To and Through Hell and Back - Israel Behar's Survival Story 35 Burdensome to this Moment--Rudi Abarbanel's Escape Story Part 6 The Aftermath of the Holocaust 36 Rivers of Tears--After the War 1945-1948 37 We Overcame It! Bulgaria in Jaffa Part 7 The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews 38 A Myth is Born 39 "Who Saved the Jews?" 40 The Balkan Fox 41 Territory and Accountability 42 Wheeling and Dealing Memory 43 Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial Part 8 The Reclaimed Narrative 44 Reflections--Mixed Accounts 45 The Moral Lesson 46 To Be a Bulgarian Is to be a Friend Epilogue: Tribute to Decency Appendix I: List of Interviewees Appendix II: Timelines Appendix III: Further Reading Bibliography Index About the Authors
A compelling and very personal book whose rich, poignant testimonies provide a welcome addition to recent scholarship on writing and remembering Jewish history in Bulgaria. Alongside Jewish witness accounts, a wealth of photographs bring back to life the experiences of Jewish persecution during World War Two and successfully reclaim the Bulgarian Jews' roles in their own 'rescue.' The social lives of this collection of testimonies may also invite scholars to consider this volume as an object of research in its own right. -- Nadege Ragaru, Sciences Po Paris Jacky Comforty is not only an avid collector of historical memories and visual sources of the Jews of Bulgaria, but also-as this book proves-the voice of the survivors. The book tells a story on the Shoah in the Balkans which is much more complex than the established varieties: a story of deportation and annihilation, but also one of solidarity and rescue. -- Stefan Troebst, Leipzig University An excellent combination of rich documentation, critical study, responsible research and grounded insights. A flowing, important, fascinating historical narrative--the results of years of diligent work. Highly recommended! -- Shlomo Shealtiel, Yad Yaari Center of Hashomer Hatzair Research This valuable contribution to the history of Bulgarian Jews and those under Bulgarian rule during the Holocaust offers a patiently assembled and processed collection of individual voices which blend into a telling polyphonic narrative. The myriad personal memories convincingly demystify well-established canonical stories and pay a deserved tribute to human decency. -- Roumen Avramov, Centre for Advanced Studies Sofia Drawing on a rich collection of oral and visual sources, most previously unknown, this book presents an account of Bulgarian Jews and Bulgaria's role in the Final Solution like no other book on its subject. First-person oral testimonies and accompanying graphics make for engaging, gripping, reading. An historical narrative at its best! -- Alvin Rosenfeld, Indiana University
