International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed in the Chicago suburb Highland Park with a screening of the film “Beyond Hitler’s Grasp” by Michael Bar-Zohar. The film tells the story of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during World War II.
The event was organized by the American Jewish Committee in Chicago and the Consulate General of Bulgaria in the city. Among the attendees were members of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization in the U.S. and Canada, as well as Highland Park police officers Brian Bonev and David Bekov.
During the discussion following the film, Consul General Svetoslav Stankov stated:
"The rescue of Bulgarian Jews during the darkest times of the Holocaust serves as a bright and positive example, inspiring young generations to this day not to turn a blind eye but to stand up against modern forms of antisemitism and extremism."
Also in attendance were Gil Vaknin and Ivan Genchev, students at Chicago's DePaul University. Gil Vaknin shared a story about being attacked by a group of extremists during a student protest against Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Bulgarian student Ivan Genchev came to the group's aid, telling the attackers that they would have to go through him first. Despite not knowing his Jewish peers, Ivan stood up for them out of moral conviction rather than religious belief. Originally from the town of Razlog in Bulgaria, Ivan stated after the discussion: “I acted as I thought was right, guided by morals, not religion.” Gil’s mother, Ilana Aviv, who was present, expressed her gratitude to Ivan alongside the audience.
During World War II, over six million Jews were murdered. Bulgaria stands out as the only continental European country where the entire Jewish community was saved without leaving its borders. However, the film and discussion also commemorated the 11,343 Jews from the temporarily governed territories of Yugoslavia and Northern Greece whom Bulgaria could not save. | BGNES
