Anti-Semitism has a centuries-old history and culminated in the unprecedented, mass killing, including by industrial methods, of over six million Jews during the Holocaust. This tragedy during World War II leaves an indelible mark on European and world history and serves as a warning about the responsibility of state institutions, civil society and every individual to preserve the legal order, protect civil rights and ensure tolerance, understanding and mutual respect
Although systematic and extreme manifestations of anti-Semitism are not observed in Bulgaria, our country is not immune to the growing trend of anti-Semitism in Europe and beyond. In a public opinion survey conducted in January 2022, most of the surveyed Bulgarian Jews stated that they had directly witnessed anti-Semitic acts (17% often and 57% rarely).
Most anti-Semitic manifestations in Bulgaria take the form of statements, inscriptions on public and residential buildings, distribution of souvenirs with Nazi symbols, etc. There are also cases of vandalism against buildings and symbols associated with Jews. In the context of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and in Bulgaria, there is a European-wide increase in anti-Semitic rhetoric and the spread of conspiracy theories on the Internet.
The electronic system for combating anti-Semitism “Report anti-Semitism” was created under the project “Youth for Tolerance: Methods and Good Practices in Combating Anti-Semitism and Hate Speech” by CJBC “Alef” and the National Research Council, Institute of Educational Technology from Italy. It is supported by the European Practitioners Network Against Anti-Semitism (EPNA) and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
