31-05-2023 14:43
The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute organized a National Expert Forum in Sofia on Combating Antisemitism and Preserving Jewish Heritage.
The forum was divided into three main panels: "Institutional Progress in Combating Antisemitism", "Preserving Memory in the Context of the 80th Anniversary of the Salvation of Bulgarian Jews" and "Initiatives in Support of the Preservation of Jewish Heritage".
The first panel of the event, moderated by the Director of the Institute, Tanya Mihaylova, included speeches by Ms. Velislava Petrova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism, Mr. Ventsislav Katinov, Deputy Minister of the Interior, Ms. Naama Levi, Deputy Head of the Embassy of the State of Israel in Bulgaria, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism.
The event was organized within the project "Strategic Cooperation between Bulgaria and Norway in Support of Bulgaria's International Commitment to Combating Antisemitism and Preserving Jewish Heritage", implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, the State Institute for Culture to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies and funded by the Bilateral Relations Fund of the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism in Bulgaria.
The goal of the event was to exchange good practices and to provide a platform for discussion on the achieved results in the project activities, particularly regarding the development of the first National Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism of the Republic of Bulgaria. The implemented and upcoming initiatives were discussed in the context of commemorating the 80th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews this year, both within the country and in Bulgarian missions abroad. Special focus was placed on initiatives to promote Jewish cultural and historical heritage in Bulgaria in the fields of education and youth participation, media, preservation and modernization of Jewish historical monuments.
Experts from the governmental, non-governmental and academic sectors from Sofia, Burgas, Kyustendil and Samokov, Bulgarian diplomats as well as representatives of a number of Jewish organizations in Bulgaria took part as speakers in the forum.
Photos: Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute