Assoc. Prof. Zhivkov: The Bulgarian Lawers' Guild Opposed Introduction of Anti-Jewish Legislation During Second World War

The Bulgarian lawyers' guild stated its opposition to the introduction of anti-Jewish legislation during the Second World War, Assoc. Prof. Svetoslav Zhivkov of the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia said in an interview with BTA on Friday. He is one of the authors of the study "The Role of Lawyers in the Rescue of Bulgarian Jews during World War II", a project of the Supreme Bar Council, prepared jointly with his colleague Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Stanev.

The historian explained that the disagreement was expressed through individual letters to Tsar Boris III and cabinet ministers, as well as through an official statement of the Board of the Lawers' Union in October 1940. The document states that "this Protection of the Nation Bill should not be adopted".

The lawyers' arguments were both constitutional and moral, Zhivkov added. He also pointed out that the Union's opinion was duplicated by a letter of the Vidin Bar Association, submitted on the same day, October 30, 1940, which expressed the same position - against anti-Jewish legislation.

The Bulgarian Lawyers Union President at that time was Joseph Fadenhecht: perhaps the most famous Bulgarian Jewish jurist, professor of law, former minister of justice, the historian further said. Zhivkov added that according to anti-Jewish legislation, Jews had to leave their positions in governing bodies, including non-governmental organizations such as the Union of Bulgarian Lawyers. Fadenhecht was relieved of the presidency no earlier than the beginning of 1943 - solemnly, with a letter of gratitude. He remained a member of the Supreme Bar Council, an institution established by law, until the end of 1942. It takes courage for these activists to do all this, Zhivkov commented.

Almost all those who opposed the adoption of the Law for Protection of the Nation during the debates in parliament were lawyers or jurists, the historian pointed out. The most famous among them were Petko Staynov and Nikola Mushanov, who at one point was "the last and only voice of Bulgarian democracy in the 25th National Assembly, standing against all unconstitutional and undemocratic measures of the ruling camp in those years," Zhivkov said.

"The Bulgarian MPs - lawyers and jurists, reject as unconstitutional the Law for the Protection of the Nation," Zhivkov added, explaining that they exposed the contradiction between the provisions in the bill and the Constitution, which proclaims equality before the law.

On March 17, 1943, 43 MPs, including two opposition members, sent a letter, initiated by the Deputy Chair of the National Assembly Dimitar Peshev, to Prime Minister Bogdan Filov against the deportation of Bulgarian Jews out of Bulgaria. "We found that 20 lawyers signed the letter, including Dimitar Peshev, Petar Mihalev, Ivan Kirilov Vazov - a future minister in Dobri Bozhilov's cabinet, and others," said Assoc. Prof. Zhivkov.

An argument regarding the foreign policy aspect was also made in the letter against the deportation of Bulgarian Jews, the historian explained. It said that "the possible deportation of Jews, Bulgarian citizens, would compromise the Bulgarian foreign policy, claims and aspirations, the Bulgarian national ideal."

"Peshev said that we have been insisting for over 30 years, especially after the First World War, for the rights of Bulgarian minorities to be respected, especially in our neighbours Romania, Yugoslavia and Greece, and with such actions we are making light of all our claims in this regard," the historian pointed out.

Zhivkov explained that before Peshev's action, a delegation from Kyustendil, including the lawyers Petar Mihalev and Ivan Momchilov, came to him following a request for help from the Jewish community in the region. They, as well as other lawyers such as Georgi Kenderov from Pazardzhik and Dimitar Ikonomov from Dupnitsa, did not just sign Peshev's petition, but worked on local level, forcing the local administration to halt or temporarily suspend the Jews deportation measures, said Zhivkov.

"In Kyustendil, in Dupnitsa, and in Pazardzhik, several thousand Bulgarian Jews were prepared for deportation, gathered near the railway stations. With to their efforts on March 8-9, these people [the defenders of Bulgarian Jews] literally stopped some actions that potentially endangered the lives of thousands, and then with their letter forced the government, due to a fear of domestic political turmoil, to suspend the planned deportation," the historian stressed.

Most of the people involved in the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews were sentenced to death and executed after the coup d'etat on September 9. Dimitar Peshev was arrested after being sentenced by the People's Court.

Bulgaria marks the 80th anniversary of the salvation of Bulgarian Jews in 2023. The anniversary raises many historical and historiographical questions about who the rescuers were, what made this great humanitarian act possible and why it happened in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), in partnership with the Alef Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation Center, set itself the task of answering these questions with the help of prominent scholars, public figures, and experts on the subject with a series of articles to recall the events of the past and the participants in them, and to present the importance of the rescue and the rescuers.