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| There are few
paradoxes in the Balkans that rival the story of Bulgarian Jewry.
During World War II, the great majority were saved from deportation
by King Boris and the Orthodox Church, simply because this was one
of the least anti-Semitic countries in Europe. After 1947, over 85
percent of Bulgaria's Jews emigrated to Israel. Remaining were a few
thousand Jews whose community structures were run by a clique of hard-line
Stalinists. Although they were Jewish themselves, they tried to suppress
nearly all forms of religious expression. Judaism was regarded as
an ethnic identity, and its traditions were treated as folklore.
This proud Jewish community, many of whose members trace their ancestry back to the Spanish expulsion is intent on recreating Jewish life and are pleased to be a part this effort. The Jewish School in Sofia, Bulgaria With an enrollment of 312 students, about half of whom are Jewish, The Jewish School is having a remarkable influence on Jewish life in Sofia. This year, 150 students chose to begin learning Hebrew in the first grade through the TALAM program. Every Friday, the school organizes a Kabbalat Shabbat for the children and their parents. The school has also implemented a "Challah Program". Once a month, the children make challahs on Friday to take home for Shabbat. In addition, The Jewish School offers evening courses to parents to enrich their Jewish education and enable them to assist their children with their studies.
Since 1996, The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation has built a swimming and sports facility at a campsite near Sofia so that more than 300 young Bulgarian Jews can learn about Judaism and enjoy time together during their summer vacations. Approximately 200 students from The Jewish School participate in the Camp. In addition, the Foundation enables children froom Sofia to spend two weeks at The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation/American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee International Summer Camp at Szarvas, Hungary. |
In
1989, a young group of inspired and dedicated Jews formed "Shalom,"
the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria. Although they made remarkable
progress in restructuring Jewish life, they were hindered by Bulgaria's
severe economic crisis. In 1997, The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation,
pledging to aid Bulgarian Jewry, opened an office in Sofia to support
"Shalom" and The Jewish School, which it had founded
a few years earlier.
Jewish
Summer Camp in Kovetchevtzi, Bulgaria |
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