Clarifying 70 Years of Whitewashing and ... - Shelomo Alfassa

Page | 11
These Bulgarian Jews were deported out of homes in the city to remote towns in the countryside, so they
could be hidden from the public-eye in preparation of later being deported to death camps in Poland—and
that was indeed the ominous plan. 58
From a May 15, 1943 cable 59 sent to Berlin from the German embassy in Sofia, we see the clear intent
and true reason why the Bulgarian government forcefully transported their Jewish citizens to outlying
towns:
I. To deport out of the kingdom all Jews…Final date for the deportation September 30. The Jews
will be deported to Germany—the East regions. II. a) To be deported – 25,000 Jews from Sofia
and 23,000 from the provinces, total number – 48,000. b) The handling will be at the ports on the
Danube river, Lom and Somovit in the first place. c) Sixteen thousand Jews will leave the country
monthly. d) It is not advisable for the deportation to be carried in separate parts. From the fixed
date onward, for instance May 30, 1943, all Jews should be in camps. e) Sending the Jews from
Sofia to the provinces will divert the suspicion for deportation to Germany. 60 f) The deportation
of the Jews from the provinces will include those from Sofia…. 61
For those that did not abide by the new anti-Jewish laws or those that attempted to flee or did not comply
with slave-labor requirements, concentration camps were set up in the towns of Somovit, Enikjoi, Kajlaka
and near Pleven. 62 These Bulgarian camps, surrounded by entanglements of barbed wire and complete
with wooden barracks, 63 were deplorable; life was a miserable existence for those locked inside. 64 In the
camps, these Jews suffered starvation, disease, humiliation, and severe conditions with no soap and one
water hose to serve up to 1,500 people. 65 Many died from malnutrition and physical exhaustion to
frostbite and even being burned alive—when the vicious Legioneri burned a building down with Jews
inside. 66
For these Jews who went overnight from well-established and productive Bulgarian citizens to
incarcerated victims, there was no illusion they would be spared from tragedy. 67 The Jews protested their
forced removal, many fought back very strongly, yet many of them were beaten and arrested by the
58
Wyman, David S; Rosenzveig, Charles H. The World Reacts to the Holocaust. The John Hopkins Univ. Press: Baltimore,
1996. 266; and Chary. 69
59
Cable No. 726 (Yad Vashem K208523/24)
60
Emphasis added
61
Annual. Vol. V 35
62
Annual. Vol. V, Social Cultural and Educational Association of the Jews in the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. Central Board:
Sofia, 1970. 19
63
Annual Vol. 28. Organizataia na evreite v Bulgaria “Shalom.” 71
64
Throughout the war years, Bulgaria illicitly collected funds from the Jews, this included progressive taxation on community
bank accounts, confiscation of Jewish synagogue and school property, confiscation of Jewish philanthropic organization funds
and taxes and confiscation of levies collected by the Jewish communities of the various cities. These funds, stolen by the
Bulgarians, were used both to transport Jews to labor and/or concentration camps within the country and to maintain those
camps. (Tamir. 174-175)
65
Tamir. 194
66
Annual. Vol. V 19-20
67
For excerpts from letters relating to the fate of Bulgarian Jews: NARA. Interallied and Interservice Military Agencies Records
- Records of the Office of Strategic Services (RG 226), Formerly Security-Classified Intelligence Reports ("L" Series) 1942-45
(Entry 21) File #53337, December 1944.
Judaic Studies Academic Paper Series / Library of Congress ISSN No. 2156-0390 © Shelomo Alfassa (shelomo@alfassa.com)