On September 2, the President of the Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” and the Chair of the Central Israelite Spiritual Court gave a presentation to more than 250 young party members about the Bulgarian Jewish community at the 10th Summer University of the Youth Section of the GERB party (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) in Varna.
The presentation titled “Why I am proud to be a Bulgarian Jew” focused on the thousand-year-old Jewish legacy on the Balkans, the friendly co-existence between Bulgarians and Jews, the Jewish contribution to the National Liberation Movement from Ottoman Rule, the Jews who fought for Bulgaria in the Balkan Wars and WWI, the modernization of the Bulgarian industry between the two world wars and, of course, the numerous representatives from the Jewish community in the country’s intelligentsia.
PM Boyko Borissov gave a warm welcome to the guests from the Jewish community and indicated Israel as one of Bulgaria’s closest allies. GERB’s parliamentary leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov stated, Israel was an example for a country with strict security measures.
The latter were the only way to guarantee freedom and safety today. Tsvetanov mentioned the 2012 terror attack at Burgas Airport, in which five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver were murdered. The former Minister of the Interior also talked about his role in identifying the Hezbollah perpetrators. The Mayor of Varna, Ivan Portnih, was present at the event as well. So was former Shalom President Mr. Maxim Benvenisti.
Among the lectors in the forum were also: Deputy Parliament Speaker Tsveta Karayancheva, Deputy PM and FM Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy PM Tomislav Donchev, Minister of Justice Tsetska Tsacheva, Minister of Transport Ivaylo Moskovski, and the Bulgarian European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.
