A synagogue and two Holocaust memorials were defaced last week in Bulgaria, according to the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry and local Jewish organization, which followed other acts of vandalism against Holocaust monuments in recent months.
A synagogue in Varna, the Sofia Monument of Salvation, and the Burgas Monument of Gratitude were vandalized, according to announcements by the Shalom Organization of Jews in Bulgaria and Alef Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation.
Last Thursday, Shalom published on Facebook a photograph of the Monument Salvation, dedicated to Bulgarians who opposed the deportation and persecution of Jews during World War II, showing the statue defaced with red paint.
Shalom chairman Dr. Alina Levi urged the Sofia municipality and the Foreign Ministry to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.
"We believe that Bulgaria should not allow such manifestations that contradict the true essence of our society," wrote Levi.
Levi noted that the incident was not an isolated incident, as sites in Varna and Burgas had also been vandalized.
The Monument of Gratitude, which had been built by Alef ten years ago to commemorate those in the country who had opposed the Holocaust, was spray-painted with green graffiti.
The Alef Center condemned the defacement last Wednesday, characterizing the incident not only as an attack "against historical memory" but also "an assault on the moral foundations of our society."
"Whom does the heroism of the Bulgarian people offend, the same people who, 80 years ago, saved their fellow citizens of Jewish origin? Who is disturbed by the humanity shown then, and by its commemoration through our gratitude and remembrance? Who wishes to erase the immense moral capital of the Bulgarian nation, earned through its tolerance and proven humanism?” The organization said in a statement.
The Burgas municipality cleaned the monument, according to a Friday statement by Alef, which thanked authorities for a quick response.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the vandalism against the synagogue and Burgas monument, stating that it was unacceptable to "cast a shadow over the historical achievements of Bulgaria,"
Cannot be left without consequences
"Such actions are not inherent in Bulgarian society; they clearly aim to create artificial tension and division among Bulgarian citizens, and for this reason, they cannot be left without consequences," the ministry said in a statement last Thursday.
In a separate letter to Levi and the NEGEV - Organization of Friends of Israel in Bulgaria, the ministry also condemned the defacement of the Sofia monument as "damaging to the material heritage."
According to Alef, the Burgas memorial had been vandalized on August 8 with stickers depicting pro-Nazi Union of Bulgarian National Legions leader General Hristo Lukov. The Center said that it was antisemitic and xenophobic for such a monument to be left covered in the stickers for days.
A few days later, the facade of a former Burgas Jewish school turned art gallery was vandalized with graffiti equating a Star of David to a Nazi swastika, Alef announced on August 28.
In Sofia, a monument to attorneys who saved Jews during the Holocaust was defaced with pro-Palestinian stickers, Shalom said on Facebook on September 10. The group warned that the memory of the Holocaust should not be politicized. Jewish youth volunteers reportedly cleaned the memorial.