[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 5824-5827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC RESCUE OF 50,000 BULGARIAN 
                        JEWS FROM THE HOLOCAUST

  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 77) commemorating the 60th 
anniversary of the historic rescue of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from the 
Holocaust and commending the Bulgarian people for preserving and 
continuing their tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 77

       Whereas the people of the United States and the Republic of 
     Bulgaria respect all faiths, including Judaism and Jewish 
     culture;
       Whereas during World War II, despite being allied with 
     Germany, Bulgarians did not cede to Nazi pressure to fully 
     enforce anti-Jewish legislation and resisted orders to deport 
     their Jewish compatriots to Nazi concentration camps;
       Whereas in the spring of 1943 the Bulgarian people 
     succeeded in preventing the deportation of 50,000 Jews to 
     such camps;
       Whereas it is acknowledged with sadness that the 
     deportation of over 11,000 jews from Thrace and Macedonia, 
     territories which were administered by Bulgaria at that time, 
     to Nazi concentration camps, took place;
       Whereas Bulgaria was the only European country during World 
     War II to increase its Jewish population;
       Whereas members of the Bulgarian Parliament, the Bulgarian 
     Orthodox Church, King Boris III, politicians, intellectuals, 
     and citizens all played a part in the resistance to Nazi 
     pressure to carry out the deportation;
       Whereas March 2003 marks the 60th anniversary of Bulgaria's 
     refusal to deport its Jews to Nazi concentration camps;
       Whereas the Bulgarian people today preserve and continue 
     their tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance; and
       Whereas President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Simeon 
     Saxe-Coburg Gotha are leading the United States and Bulgaria 
     into a long-term strategic partnership: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) commemorates the 60th anniversary of the historic 
     rescue of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust and 
     commends the Bulgarian people for preserving and continuing 
     their tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance; and
       (2) reiterates its support for strong ties between the 
     United States and Bulgaria.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Chabot) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 77.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 77, a 
resolution commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic rescue of 
50,000 Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust. This resolution was 
introduced by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson). H. Con. 
Res. 77 recognizes a relatively unknown but exceedingly important event 
in the history of Bulgaria and the history of Europe.
  This resolution commends the Bulgarian people for their actions in 
1943 and for preserving and continuing their tradition of ethnic and 
religious tolerance. In the spring of 1943, the Bulgarian people 
succeeded in protecting Bulgaria's entire Jewish population from 
deportation and death in Nazi concentration camps. This happened 
despite the fact that Bulgaria was officially allied with Nazi Germany 
from March 1941 until September 1944. Bulgaria's legislators, 
clergymen, civic leaders, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens, through 
a series of protests and appeals, blocked Nazi attempts to deport 
Bulgarian Jews to death camps in Poland. The entire Bulgarian nation, 
the people, the Parliament, the King and the Orthodox Church stood 
united and confronted the Nazi terror. As a result, in that critical 
moment in history, not even one of Bulgaria's 50,000 Jews was deported 
to Nazi gas chambers.
  In fact, I am told that Bulgaria was the only country in Europe in 
which the Jewish population actually increased during World War II. The 
Bulgarian people should be commended for saving their fellow countrymen 
and compatriots from the Holocaust. Bulgarians today should be proud of 
their predecessors' courage and heroism, and we recognize today this 
historic action that was taken. In a country and region of such long 
and deep history, at the crossroads of civilizations, we should also 
recognize the tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance in Bulgaria 
and what it might mean today for the Balkans, for Europe, for the 
Middle East, and for the world.
  Madam Speaker, I would again like to commend Bulgaria and the 
Bulgarian people for this historic event, and I urge strong support for 
this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. First, I 
would like to commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) 
for his leadership on this important resolution. I also want to 
recognize the contributions to this measure of the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).
  Madam Speaker, just in the past year Congress has focused attention 
on growing anti-Semitism in Europe. Unfortunately, some European 
leaders have used the pretext of the Middle East conflict to justify 
this ugly phenomenon of the 20th century reappearing in the 21st 
century.
  Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to commend an important U.S. 
ally, a future member of NATO, on what it did during the darkest hours 
of European history. Bulgaria's actions during the Second World War 
prove that a small nation can have a tremendously positive impact on 
humanity. In Bulgaria, the effort to resist the Nazi pressure to 
enforce anti-Jewish laws and to deport its Jewish citizens to death 
camps was undertaken by the full spectrum of Bulgarian society. Members 
of the Bulgarian Parliament, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, 
politicians, intellectuals, but most importantly, ordinary citizens all 
played a part in the resistance to Nazi pressure to carry out the 
unconscionable act of deportation to death camps.
  March 2003 marks the 60th anniversary of Bulgaria's historic refusal 
to deport its Jews to Nazi concentration camps.
  Some years ago at the initiative of my wife, she and I went to 
Bulgaria to express our appreciation for this heroic action of the 
Bulgarian people during the most difficult years of the Second World 
War. We met with a broad spectrum of Bulgarian people, and we had the 
opportunity of telling them that

[[Page 5825]]

their little recognized heroic action is deeply appreciated by the 
American people and the Congress of the United States.
  Sadly, Bulgaria was unique among its East European neighbors. In too 
many instances, the populations of other countries occupied by the 
Nazis turned against their Jewish compatriots or remained indifferent 
to their nightmare fate.
  That is why today, Madam Speaker, I shudder when I hear the excuses 
used by some governments in Europe to explain the rise of anti-Semitism 
again on that continent. As we commend Bulgaria for this historic 
rescue, we must note that neighboring Macedonia is marking the tragedy 
of the deportation of over 11,000 Jews to Nazi death camps. This region 
was under the control of Bulgarian authorities at the time, but the 
Jewish residents did not have Bulgarian citizenship and were not saved 
from the Nazi death camps. They all perished.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), the principal sponsor of 
the bill. I might note that the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
Wilson) is likely to become a grandfather for the first time within the 
next few hours.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today with the 
great honor of introducing a bill with the gentlewoman from California 
(Mrs. Tauscher) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) to 
recognize the 60th anniversary of the historic rescue of 50,000 
Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust and commending the Bulgarian people 
for preserving and continuing their tradition of ethnic and religious 
tolerance.

                              {time}  1515

  As the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) just mentioned, this indeed 
is a special day for me. It is a special day because I am so happy to 
tell the people of the world about the wonderful people that I have had 
the opportunity to be associated with in the Republic of Bulgaria. It 
is a special day because my daughter-in-law, Lauren, is in Bethesda 
right now. She is in labor awaiting the birth of our first grandchild. 
This is an extraordinary day on behalf of my son, who is an ensign in 
the U.S. Navy, Addison. We are indeed looking forward to the birth of 
Addison Graves Wilson, III. In fact, my wife is with the other 
prospective grandparents. My wife, Roxanne, and Julie and Craig Houston 
of West Columbia, South Carolina, are on I-95 as we speak coming up for 
the blessed event. We are just very grateful.
  My association with Bulgaria, it is a bit unusual for someone from 
South Carolina to have an association with a country which does not 
have significant immigration to our State. It really started, and I 
need to give thanks to the late Lee Atwater, chairman of the Republican 
National Committee. He appointed me to be an observer for the first 
democratic elections that had occurred in decades in Bulgaria on June 
10, 1990. I had the extraordinary opportunity of visiting Bulgaria. I 
do not want to give anybody the impression I am a world traveler, 
because it was my first visit to Europe. It was an extraordinary 
opportunity, though, for me.
  I had gone to Bulgaria fully expecting to find the most slavish 
Soviet satellite. It was a country that was marked with a bitter 
dictatorship and a loyalty to the former Soviet Union that was 
unparalleled among the satellite countries of Eastern and Central 
Europe. When I arrived, it was, in fact, significantly different. It 
was like a country frozen in time. I found people who were really back 
to about 1939. It was an extraordinary circumstance of a country where 
the people were just terrific. They were very friendly, they were very 
open, they were excited about the efforts that Ronald Reagan had made 
of peace through strength, the liberation of Eastern and Central 
Europe. I also found a country which I could identify with coming from 
the southeastern part of the United States, which is in the 
southeastern part of Europe.
  I found a very friendly meteorological climate. The people were 
friendly. The geography was remarkably similar to my home State of 
South Carolina. They have beautiful beaches to the east on the Black 
Sea, there is a midlands very similar to where I represent in Congress, 
and then there are mountains to the west. It was a time to really feel 
at home. I met wonderful people. The first person who greeted me was a 
candidate for the National Assembly, Stefan Stoyanov. Stefan ultimately 
was elected to their parliament, the National Assembly. Then I had the 
good fortune of hosting him to observe our elections in November of 
1990. This was hosted by various civic organizations: the Rotary Clubs, 
the Kiwanis Clubs, the Optimist Clubs, the Lions Clubs of the central 
part of South Carolina, the midlands of South Carolina. They raised 
money for Assemblyman Stoyanov to come visit. At that time it was an 
extraordinary election victory for Governor Carroll Campbell, who was 
reelected. Governor Campbell took the Bulgarian assemblyman to the 
stage for recognition on election night at the victory party. It was an 
extraordinary event.
  I then had the opportunity to visit later that year with the 
democratically elected members of the National Assembly, thanks to the 
Free Congress Foundation and Mr. Paul Weyrich and, in particular, the 
late Dr. Bob Krieble, who is the founder of the Krieble Institute, 
which has worked so well to establish democracy in the formerly-
Communist countries. It was an extraordinary opportunity to be what Dr. 
Krieble called an agent of influence, and it was positive influence, to 
promote democracy.
  I then returned several years later and saw remarkable change. 
Through the sister city program of the Columbia International Affairs 
Association, we have a sister city relationship with Plovdiv, the 
second largest city in Bulgaria. Columbia, the capital of South 
Carolina, is very fortunate to be associated with this ancient city. It 
was known as Philippopolis. It was known as Trimontium. I found the 
history of Bulgaria to go back to Roman and Greek times. It is just a 
phenomenal experience of wonderful people. I was very fortunate at that 
time to have my son with me, Addison, Jr., who then left that next week 
to be a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy.
  In the particular bill today, I am very grateful for the leadership 
of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the 
Committee on International Relations. I want to thank the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), the chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Europe. And of course, somebody near and dear to me, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Chabot), who has been a real leader. And the professional 
staff has been so helpful.
  The rescue of the Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust. In the spring of 
1943, a period when Jews across Europe were subjected to total 
extermination in the Nazi death camps, the Bulgarian people, 
politicians and civic leaders through a series of resolute actions 
succeeded in protecting their 50,000 Jewish compatriots from 
deportation to the death camps. Bulgaria was the only country in Europe 
to increase its Jewish population during World War II. This happened 
despite Nazi pressure and the fact that Bulgaria was officially an ally 
of Hitler Germany as part of the Axis from March 1941 until September 
1944.
  Despite the anti-Jewish legislation and the heavy restrictions of the 
rights of the Jewish population adopted by the Bulgarian Government and 
Parliament in 1941-1942, anti-Semitism was never morally accepted by 
the Bulgarian society. King Boris III and the majority of the members 
of Parliament only reluctantly followed Hitler's official policy, 
resisting the implementation of the anti-Jewish legislation and 
regulations in their entirety. As a result of Nazi pressure, in 
February 1943 a secret agreement was reached to start the secret 
deportation of Jews by cargo trains in the first days of March 1943.
  Due to the prompt public reaction and the resolute intervention of a

[[Page 5826]]

group of active citizens, church leaders and politicians, led by Deputy 
Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly Dimitar Peshev, the Minister 
of Interior Gabrovski was forced on 9 March 1943 to cancel the 
deportation orders for the Jews from several Bulgarian cities. The 
trains, which had been waiting to be loaded with Bulgarian Jews and 
sent to the concentration camps in Poland, did not depart. 
Unfortunately, about 12,000 Jews from Aegean Thrace and Macedonia, who 
did not at that time have Bulgarian citizenship and had been already 
driven out of their homes by the special forces of the Jewish 
Commissariat, could not be saved and were deported through Bulgarian 
territory to Germany. The horrible sight of train compositions packed 
with Jews from Thrace and Macedonia crossing Bulgarian territory had a 
tremendous impact on public opinion in Bulgaria and strengthened even 
more the popular resistance against deportation.
  Later, in March 1943, 43 members of the Bulgarian Parliament from the 
ruling majority, led by Deputy Speaker Dimitar Peshev, addressed a bold 
and decisive letter to the then Prime Minister Filov in which they 
called a possible deportation of Jews an inadmissible act with grave 
moral and political consequences for the country. The Bulgarian 
Orthodox Church played a crucial part in mobilizing public support 
against the deportation and exerting its influence on the government. 
Metropolitans Stefan in Sofia and Kiril in Plovdiv actively contributed 
to the campaign against state discrimination of the Jews.
  The broad popular and civil movement in defense of the Bulgarian Jews 
culminated in May 1943 when the plan of deportation was finally 
aborted. King Boris III played a decisive role in this decision by not 
ceding to Hitler's increasing pressure and not allowing the deportation 
to happen. The King resisted Hitler's demands with the argument that 
the Bulgarian Jews were needed as a workforce in Bulgaria. At the end 
of May 1943, about 20,000 Jews from Sofia were sent to work camps in 
the countryside where they were assigned heavy labor duties and lived 
in miserable conditions; but they survived. Many other political and 
professional organizations and groups of intellectuals joined actively 
in this national effort. The credit as a whole belongs to the Bulgarian 
people who showed courage and strength in defending their fellow Jewish 
countrymen. Bulgarians today feel proud of the courage of their 
predecessors to save from deportation and death nearly 50,000 Bulgarian 
Jews.
  I have seen firsthand the good will of the Bulgarian people as an 
observer of Bulgaria's first democratic elections in 1990, and I have 
witnessed the progress of Bulgaria's democracy away from communism. I 
commend the efforts of patriots like Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha, Ambassador Elena Poptodorova, Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi, 
Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov, Deputy Chief of Mission Emil 
Yalnazov, and Bulgarian Ambassador to Greece Stefan Stoyanov for 
continuing important reforms and for leading their entry into NATO.
  We are proud of our allied Bulgaria. As cochairman of the House 
Caucus on Bulgaria along with the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 
Tauscher), it is my privilege to introduce this legislation. I urge my 
colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 77.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  First, I want to commend my friend for his powerful and eloquent and 
thoughtful statement. I would like to add that it is no accident that 
as we speak, Bulgaria is standing tall with the United States at the 
United Nations at another critical juncture of history.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Madam Speaker, this Member rises today in strong 
support of H. Con. Res. 77, a resolution recognizing and commending the 
Bulgarian people for a little-known, but extraordinary, historical 
fact. The resolution was introduced by the distinguished gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), and this Member is pleased to be an 
original cosponsor.
  This resolution seeks to commemorate the 60th anniversary of a 
historic act of courage and heroism: the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews 
from the Nazi Holocaust in 1943. In that critical moment of history, 
the Bulgarian people, from every walk of life, through a series of 
resolute actions, successfully stopped the deportation of Bulgaria's 
Jewish population to Nazi death camps.
  Bulgaria was officially allied with Hitler Germany from March 1941 
until September 1944, but anti-Semitism was never morally accepted by 
Bulgarian society. It is said that King Boris III and the majority of 
the Members of Parliament only reluctantly followed Hitler's official 
policies, resisting the implementation of anti-Jewish legislation and 
other restrictions in their entirety.
  In February 1943, as a result of Nazi pressure, a secret agreement on 
the deportation of Bulgarian Jews to Germany was signed between 
Hitler's special envoy Dannecker and the Bulgarian Commissar on Jewish 
Affair Belev. The plan was to start the secret deportation of Jews by 
cargo trains in the first days of March 1943.
  Due to immediate public reaction and the resolute intervention of a 
group of active citizens, church leaders and politicians, led by the 
Deputy Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly Dimitar Peshev, the 
Minister of Interior Nikola Gabrovski was forced on March 9, 1943 to 
cancel deportation orders for Jews from several Bulgarian cities. The 
trains, which had been waiting to be loaded and sent to concentration 
camps in Poland, did not depart.
  Unfortunately, about 12,000 Jews from Aegean Thrace and Macedonia, 
who did not at that time have Bulgarian citizenship and who had already 
been driven out of their homes by the special forces of the Jewish 
Commissariat, were deported through Bulgarian territory to Germany. The 
horrible sight of trains carrying Jews from Thrace and Macedonia 
crossing Bulgaria and strengthened even more the popular resistance 
against deportation.
  Later in March 1943, 43 members of the Bulgarian Parliament from the 
ruling majority, led by the Deputy Speaker Dimitar Peshev, addressed a 
bold and decisive letter to the then-Prime Minister Bogdan Filov, in 
which they called a possible deportation of the Jews an ``inadmissible 
act'' which ``grave moral and political consequences'' for the country.
  The Bulgarian Orthodox Church played a crucial part in mobilizing 
public support against the deportation and exerting its influence on 
the government. Metropolitans Sefan in Sofia and Kiril in Plovdiv 
actively contributed to this effort.
  The broad popular and civil movement in defense of the Bulgarian Jews 
culminated in May 1943 when the plan of deportation was finally 
aborted. King Boris III played a decisive role in this decision by not 
ceding to Hitler's increasing pressure and by not allowing the 
deportation to happen. Many other political and professional 
organizations and groups of intellectuals actively participated in this 
national movement.
  The credit as a whole belongs to the Bulgarian people who showed 
courage and strength in defending their fellow countrymen. Bulgarians 
today rightly feel proud of the actions of their predecessors to save 
from deportation and death nearly 50,000 Bulgarian Jews.
  Bulgaria should be proud of this historical event, and its tradition 
of ethnic and religious tolerance. Bulgaria's history should be 
recognized, and its people should be commended. Bulgaria should be an 
example to a region that has been torn apart by so much hatred and 
violence over the past decade. Let Bulgaria's history be an example to 
the Balkins and Southeastern Europe. Let Bulgaria's history be an 
example to all of Europe today, East and West, North and South, Old and 
New.
  Madam Speaker, on this occasion, this Member urges strong support for 
this resolution and would also particularly like to thank Bulgaria, and 
the Bulgarian people, for Bulgaria's exceptionally strong support and 
cooperation with America in the international war on terrorism.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 77, as 
amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.

[[Page 5827]]


  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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