The tolerance of differences is freedom of spirit and the highest human virtue. This is how the students of the professional high-school of Mathematics and Science “Acad. Nikola Obreshkov” summarized the conclusions of the “tolerance lesson” held at the school with the assistance of the Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation “Alef”. On November 15, on the eve of the International Day of Tolerance, more than 50 students of the 9th grade debated on the topic of human virtues in the assembly hall of the high school. Under the guidance of the history teacher Dimitrina Rusinova, they formulated the concept of “tolerance”, gave examples of tolerance in historical terms and in our time, commented on how views, attitudes and prejudices can be changed in order to resist hatred and anti-humanism, to rising anti-Semitism and swirling terrorism. The youth sent their messages of tolerance to their friends on social networks. They called for peace, understanding, friendship and expressed the hope that all people in the world can live happily.
Center Alef, which has taken as its cause to resist hatred and anti-humanism and to promote tolerance between people of different ethnicities, every year on this date organizes various discussions, festivals, flash mob performances, film screenings and other events to bring more people to the idea of understanding for the sake of a common future.”Alef” presented the latest fifth edition of the collection of student literary works “Extraordinary deeds by ordinary people” to the students of the professional high-school of Mathematics and Science “Acad. Nikola Obreshkov” . The collection contains 18 fiction stories written by their peers, awarded at the Ninth International Student Literary Competition “Whoever saves one human life, saves the whole universe”. In their works, the young people talk about the moral rebellion of the common man against the cruelty of the Holocaust, about evil and good, about indifference and empathy, about the hope that a path to tolerance and humanity can be found.
The students also talked with their older classmate Elitsa Georgieva, whose stories were awarded in the competition and were published in two of the “Alef” editions. They also learned that each of them can become an ambassador of tolerance, a researcher and an author, adding to the story of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews, if they participate with their work – a narrative or video story – in the 10th International Student Literary Competition, which this year is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews and is on the theme “A Story of Darkness and Light”. The competition has already started, and student works will be expected until February 1, 2023 at the email address of Center “Alef”: center.alef@gmail.com .
As part of the “tolerance lesson”, the students also watched Alberta Alkalay’s documentary “To Remember” – a 30-minute story about the Jews of Burgas, their fate full of ups and downs and about their saviors – worthy individuals who, alleviated the fate of the local Jewish population and did not allow their deportation in 1943 by their actions. The film revives part of the history of Burgas as a city of tolerance and solidarity.
