The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and the Holocaust

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.

It fills a void in the Bulgarian Holocaust literature–specifically first-hand accounts of memory of survivors, eyewitnesses, photographs, official publications, laws, and newspaper articles. According to Omer Bartov, John P Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History, Department of History, Brown University, who wrote the Foreword to our book, “What I find so powerful and moving in this book is the fine and delicate balance that it strikes between rejecting the self-serving story of how Bulgaria, alone of all other countries in Europe (with the partial exception of Denmark), and headed by its wily king, ‘saved its Jews’ and letting scores of witnesses tell their heart-wrenching stories of how they lived through those times. “This book is thus an important corrective to the existing scholarship; but it is also a major contribution to the literature on the Holocaust in that it brings back the voices of the community itself, thereby allowing members of Bulgarian Jewry to tell their own story.” 

Endorsed by scholars from the United States, Bulgaria, Israel, Germany and France.

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, Center for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, Indiana University

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

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 Research Center of Hashomer Hatzair 

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

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. — Nadège Ragaru, Sciences Po, Paris