Samuel W. Honaker on the anti-Jewish laws implemented in Bulgaria in 1942

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„Reports received from Sofia on November 13, 1942, indicate that this law is being rigorously enforced. Previous reports that there was some lenity in the enforcement of the law applied only to a small number of Christian Jews with regard to wearing the Star of David. Also some postponement was found necessary due to the physical impossibility of moving so many Jews into the ghetto or deporting them at one time. A prominent Jewish surgeon arrived in Istanbul from Sofia on November 12 after having been deprived of his right to practice his profession. He owned and operated a hospital and clinic, which is forbidden to Jews in accordance with Article 33 of the Law. All his property was taken away from him. Actually this man is a Catholic and has been such for thirty-five years. He declared that the reason for his severe treatment is the jealousy of Bulgarian surgeons and doctors who take this means of ridding themselves of competition.

As has already been mentioned several thousand Jews are now in the process of being deported from Sofia. Where they will be sent is not known. They are supposed to be deported to towns and villages in Bulgaria but some high placed persons believe many of them will be deported to Poland. Some think they will be put in concentration camps inside of Bulgaria where many will eventually die of disease and starvation. Others, including the surgeon referred to above, think that a large proportion of them will be shot, as they have been in Belgrade and other cities. In any case, the content of the law, together with the severity with which it is being enforced show that its purpose is the complete destruction of the Jewish community in Sofia.“

References

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