To
Georg Georgiev
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of Bulgaria
To
Embassy of the Republic of North Macedonia in Bulgaria
Dear Mr. Georgiev,
We, representing the Bulgarian Jews through the Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom”, the Central Israelite Spiritual Council, the Federation of Zionists in Bulgaria, the Organization of Friends of Israel in Bulgaria “Negev”, are extremely concerned by the comments made by official representatives of the Republic of North Macedonia.
We believe that words which create confrontation and hatred ultimately lead to actions, and therefore we are deeply alarmed both by the remarks of the Prime Minister of the country, Hristijan Mickoski, directed at a Bulgarian minister, and by the statements of the Mayor of the city of Kumanovo and chairman of the “Znam” movement, Maksim Dimitrievski, in which developments related to North Macedonia’s EU accession path are compared to the tragedy of the Holocaust. Such comparisons not only distort historical facts but also trivialize the incomparable horrors of the Holocaust—the systematic murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime.
We are deeply disturbed by these words and state that invoking the Holocaust in unrelated political or social contexts diminishes the weight of this unique tragedy and disrespects the memory of its victims.
We call on public figures to demonstrate responsibility and sensitivity when speaking about history and events connected to such profound human suffering. As the number of living survivors diminishes, it is now even more important to ensure that comparisons to the genocide of the Jews for the purpose of political gain are absolutely unacceptable.
We have always stated and will continue to maintain that the history of the Jews during the Second World War and the memory of the victims must not be used for contemporary political purposes and populism. As members of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, both Bulgaria and North Macedonia have a clear commitment to preserve memory and pass on the lessons of the Holocaust. Instead, we are witnessing how Mr. Dimitrievski is using the memory of the victims for his election campaign, while simultaneously generating hatred toward the Bulgarian people.
It is also unacceptable for a Bulgarian Foreign Minister to be addressed with derogatory epithets by the head of the government of the Republic of North Macedonia. We believe in the shared European future of both countries—a future that must be built on cooperation and partnership, not division and insults.
We also take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the continuous efforts in combating contemporary antisemitism by the Ministry you lead, through the office of the National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism.
Respectfully,
Dr. Alina Levi
Chairperson, Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom”
Maksim Delchev
Chairperson, Central Israelite Spiritual Council
Prof. Alexander Oscar
Chairperson, Organization of Friends of Israel in Bulgaria “NEGEV”
Nikolay Galabov
Chairperson, Federation of Zionists in Bulgaria
Viktor Melamed
Director, American Jewish Committee Office in Bulgaria and North Macedonia
