In connection with reports recently circulated in the Jewish press concerning alleged attacks upon the Jews in Bulgaria, which were later denied by the Bulgarian Minister in Washington, an official communication has just been received by Dr. Stephen S. Wise, President of the American Jewish Congress from the Bulgarian Government, signed by M. Lioptchew, President of the Council and Minister of the Interior and Public Health of Bulgaria.
In this letter the Bulgarian Minister of Interior further denies the allegations of anti-Jewish attacks and gives assurances of the full enjoyment of rights accorded to all Jews of Bulgaria.
The letter to Dr. Wise is as follows:
“Monsieur Simon Radeff, Minister of Bulgaria at Washington, has informed me that you had communicated with him in order to call his attention to certain rumors which were current on the subject of alleged persecutions directed against the Jews of Bulgaria. These went so far as to refer even to an attack which is supposed to have been directed against the synagogue at Sofia on the day of Yom Kippur last September on the part of an angry crowd, etc.
“I know that Monsieur Radeff has written to you already to deny these malevolent inventions and I now support his declarations, at the same time giving you the formal assurance that there is absolutely no possibility of any persecution of the Jews in Bulgaria. Not only would not the government allow any attempts against citizens who are from every point of view irreproachable, it would also intervene with rigor if any kind of an anti-Semitic movement whatever should raise its head. Happily, the government has not had the occasion to do this. The Israelites enjoy in the country the same rights as their Bulgarian co-citizens; they have abundantly proved their profound attachment to Bulgaria and nobody among us thinks of disturbing them in any manner whatsoever. The people have not the slightest prejudice toward them; public opinion disapproves of every indication of anti-Semitism-to this all the Jews of Bulgaria can bear witness.”
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