Dimitar Peshev - Deputy Speaker of the 25' National Assembly

THE STORY

In March 1943 the deportation of Bulgarian Jews was imminent and Dimitar Peshev took action to prevent it. There was no time to lose and he wrote down an extremely hard letter of protest to the Prime Minister Bogdan Filov aimed to permanently prevent the danger of deportation of Bulgarian Jews. The letter was signed by 42 Members of Parliament, representatives of the majority in Parliament of the Kingdom of Bulgaria - a state then allied with Germany and with an anti-Semitic law. This letter triggered a turbulent debate in Parliament that raised the public conscience and courage, but resulted in Dimitar Peshev losing his office in Parliament. The so-called "People's Tribunal" after 9th of September 1944 condemned him to 15 years of imprisonment. Dimitar Peshev died in 1973 during the Communist regime, which eventually managed to usurp the merit of saving the life of Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War. Peshev saved the Jews, but he would have done the same for anybody who was persecuted. This is his moral heritage that can keep memory alive and set an example for future generations.

Since 1998 four Parliaments have recognized and officially commemorated Peshev and his courageous deed.

EVENTS

ROME, October 16,h 1998 - Dimitar Peshev was officially commemorated at the Italian Parliament by MPs Furio Colombo, Nando Dalla Chiesa and Dario Rivolta. Session presided by Luciano Violante, chairman of the Chamber of Deputies;

SOFIA, November 6,h 1998 - Dimitar Peshev was officially commemorated at the Bulgarian National Assembly;

STRASBOURG, November 17th 1998 - Righteous of the 20th century Dimitar Peshev and Aristide de Sousa Mendes were officially commemorated at the European Parliament. Session presided by José Maria Gil-Robles, Willy De Clercq and MEP Ernesto Caccavale;

BERLIN, March 2Ist 2000 - The German edition of the book, "Der Mann, der Hltler stoppte", introduced at the Bundestag by Wolfgang Thierse, President of the Bundestag, Yordan Sokolov, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, and Gabriele Nissim, author of the book.

JERUSALEM, May lst 2000 - Dimitar Peshev was officially commemorated at the Knesset.

On December 5th 2000 The Bulgarian National Assembly marked the official inauguration of the Dimitar Peshev Foundation.

The principal aims of the Foundation are:

• To make known the contribution of Dimitar Peshev to the saving of the Bulgarian Jews during World War Il to the Bulgarian public and the international community.
• To institute and grant an annual award named after Dimitar Peshev:
- to persons for their contribution to the struggle against the different forms of genocide and their prevention
- to persons who have made a contribution to preserving the historical memory of resistance against the different forms of genocide.
• To assist research on the role of Dimitar Peshev and of other Bulgarian politicians and public figures in saving the Bulgarian Jews, and to organise the publication of such studies.
• To assist studies which acquaint young people in Bulgaria with the fate of the victims of totalitarian rule.
• To familiarise young people in Bulgaria with the traditions of the Bulgarian nation concerning the coexistence between the ethnic communities.
• To assist in establishing contacts and cooperation with international organisations which have declared as their main objective to popularise the merits of concrete individuals in the struggle against genocide.

The Foundation attains its objectives by developing the following activities:

The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria grants annually the International Dimitar Peshev Award in the building of the Bulgarian Parliament.

The Foundation organises exhibitions, round table discussions, conferences, seminars and meetings on issues related to ethnic tolerance.

The Foundation organises various events and forums for publicising the Bulgarian experience in the sphere of coexistence between the ethnic communities.

The Foundation develops joint programmes with related local, foreign and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

Chairman of the Managing Board - Mr. Ivan Kurtev, Deputy Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly

Executive Director - Mrs. Emilia Grueva

In case you would like to support and to contribut to the Foundation, please note our bank account:

SWIFT: BFTBBGSF
BULBANK Ltd.
Aksakov Branch
BANK CODE 62173339
ACCOUNT in USD 1100503016