On March 20, 2008 in the Alma Mater restaurant at the Rectorate of St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University a premiere of the book Bulgarians and Jews over the Centuries by Stoyan Raichevsky, published by Bulgarian Bestseller – National Museum of Bulgarian Books and Printing took place.

The author traces out the traditional relations between Jews and Bulgarians from the time of the first contacts between them until today: the earliest settlements of Jews in the territory of present-day Bulgaria and their relationships with the Bulgarians in the medieval and modern Bulgarian state, their participation in the Bulgarian liberation movement and the wars, which Bulgaria fought for its national unity, the active role of the Bulgarian Jews before the international community in defence of the Bulgarian national interests, when Bulgaria twice – after the First and the Second World Wars – had to wait for the decision of the Great Powers in the conclusion of the peace treaties in Paris.

The book describes the role of the Bulgarian Jews in promoting the ideas of Theodor Herzl on renewing the Jewish State and the favourable environment they have in Bulgaria for carrying out this activity. The solidarity between Bulgarians and Jews in the years of trial during the Second World War and the prospects for good cooperation between Bulgaria and Israel is among the main topics in the book.

There are many illustrations and information about the rich Jewish cultural and historical heritage, preserved and stored in Bulgaria: synagogues, architectural monuments, monuments and commemorative plaques, museum collections, old books, etc. Highlighted are the artistic achievements of many Bulgarian Jews with substantial contribution to Bulgarian culture, literature, painting, etc. Among them stand out names such as Elias Canetti, Valeri Petrov, Solomon Rosanes, Victor Baruch, Dora Gabe, Jules Pascin, Sultana Suruzhon, etc.

The book will be published in English too.

Ms. Juliana Tomova, publisher and editor-in-chief of Bulgarian Diplomatic Review magazine, introduced Mr. Stoyan Raichevsky not only as one of the best local historians in our country, but also as the author of many research works in the field of Bulgarian ethnology and history, international relations, cultural and historical heritage and ethno-demographic processes in Bulgaria.

“Many times he has amazed us with his talent to find and process information within amazingly short time, and to dig out curious facts from deep in the annals of our history. At the publishing house, we do appreciate him not only as an author, he has a definite contribution to the growth of Bulgarian Diplomatic Review magazine as well.

“Many books describe the relations between Bulgarians and Jews in our lands. I am confident that this book will take its place among the monuments that have immortalised these relationships that are not just an example of good cohabitation and cooperation, but in which the national interests of Bulgaria have been defended,” said Ms. Juliana Tomova in her speech.

The book was introduced by Prof. Andrei Pantev, who stressed at the very beginning that to speak at a book launch means to take away something from the importance of the book, from its nature... “The topic is so grand that there is hardly a country where it has not been discussed. I recall an episode from the book of a poet who had a friend, a fighter-pilot, named Rosenthal. He had heard from him so much about the good sense of the Jews that he thought his own idleness was good sense.

But after 1967 no one told anecdotes and jokes about good sense (i.e. the cowardice) of the Jews any longer. I am telling you this because we all overcome if not prejudices, at least preconditions in our relations with Jews. And they are the fruit of a particular symbiosis... The rescue of Bulgarian Jews was not an accident. It was a natural result of a tradition.

So do not ask who, but what saved the Jews – it was our tradition and the Jews fully deserved it. I loathe the words “You owe us” that we use in most cases. It is they who should say this. We cannot repeat forever that we have not banished them like the others...

If we are looking for common traits between Bulgarians and Jews, first and foremost is this: the two peoples are peoples of the book. The second similarity (this sentence belongs to the Nobel Laureate, born in Rousse, Elias Canetti) is that we have a shared mania for universal significance. But everywhere we can say that the Jews are a nation whose talents cannot be claimed by any other. The third, in which we are alike, is that the Jews and we believe to deserve a bigger state...

I congratulate my friend and colleague Stoyan Raichevsky on his achievement (it is not the first nor the last), which unites one topic, so awkward for many other nations, in his book – about Russian-Jewish relations. Solzhenitsyn says that they are a burning nail in the history of Russia and the Russian Jews.

Our relations are a cause of mutual assistance, for mutual contribution, and even for a common nobleness between us.

Therefore, we read this book with excitement, because along with the forgiveness there is a factor that our contemporaneity ignores – humanity.

We all have a Jewish neighbour or a friend, we see them every day and often we don’t even notice that they are slightly different from us as regards their faith.

And I find this is the greatest glory in the thousands-year-old history of the Jews in Bulgaria and the Bulgarians, so the author, Stoyan Raichevsky must be congratulated. Because we think that we know everything about it – and he shows us exactly the opposite.”

The silence of the many guests, the excitement on their faces were more eloquent than their applause. The evening was not long enough for the autographs, talks and congratulations that followed.