The expulsion of the entire Jewish population of the Bulgarian cities of Sofia, Varna, Plovdi, Rustchuk and Burgas, where the majority of the 50,000 Bulgarian Jews reside, is reported here today from Sofia.
The report states that the Bulgarian government has ordered the deportation of all Jews from these cities, the five largest in the country, on the charge that they were allegedly communicating with the enemy. Earlier reports from Berlin and Rome stated that Jews in Sofia have been ordered “to vacate their apartments” and that the Bulgarian government is considering the introduction of segregated areas for Jews as well as the introduction of yellow badges.
The expulsion of the Jews from the Bulgarian capital and from the major ports is interpreted here as indicating that Germany is concentrating more forces in Bulgaria for use either as a threat to Turkey, or in Syria, which might become vulnerable to attack by German air-borne forces if British troops should be transferred from Palestine and Syria to the Egyptian frontier on the Libyan front. The Jewish population is always expelled from localities where the Germans concentrate large reserves, it is pointed out here.
Information reaching here from Bucharest indicates that the expulsion of Jews from certain Rumanian cities is expected, although they probably will not be ousted from Bucharest. The German military authorities in Rumania are especially desirous of removing the Jews from Constanza and other harbor cities situated on the Black Sea.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
