JEWISH BULGARIA EXHIBITION IN SOFIA

photography by Nelly Tomova

Over 100 visitors, including diplomats, business people, members of the Jewish community, journalists and representatives of the NGO sector, attended the opening of the Jewish Bulgaria exhibition at the Culture Ministry Sredets Gallery in Sofia, on 26 September. The exhibition, consisting over about 40 large-scale photographs, explores the heritage of over 18 centuries of continuous Jewish presence in the Bulgarian lands.

The exhibition covers some of the mesmerising and atmospheric remains of Jewish heritage in Bulgaria: from the mosaics of a 2nd century synagogue in Plovdiv, to abandoned and crumbling synagogues and cemeteries, the only reminders of the Jewish presence in a number of cities where the community left, in 1949-1951.

Before Sofia, the Jewish Bulgaria exhibition by Anthony Georgieff was on in Prague and in London. The exhibition was organised with the support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation and the Embassy of Israel in Bulgaria.

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

Irit Lillian, Ambassador of Israel

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Author Anthony Georgieff

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

Maksim Benvenisti, former chairman of the Shalom Organisation of Bulgarian jews

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 From left: Victor Schiller and Nancy Schiller, President and CEO of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, and Vagabond's Dimana Trankova

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

Lynn Daft, member of the ABF's Board of Directors

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 From left: American Ambassador Eric Rubin, Brazilian Ambassador Ana Maria Sampaio Fernandes and Irish Ambassador Mike Forbes

 

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Desislava Taliokova, ABF

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Frank Bauer, President Emeritus of the ABF

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Viktor Melamed, PR and consultant

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Chris Matlon, Chairman of the ABF's Board of Directors

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Maria Tyropoli of the Greek Embassy

 

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Professor Albena Taneva, Sofia University

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Marshall Lee Miller, member of the ABF's Board of Directors

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Philosopher Georgi Lozanov

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Pam Dunn

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Kennet Vander Weele, member of the ABF's Board of Directors, and Linda Vander Weele

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Former foreign ministers Gergana and Solomon Passy

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Michael Dunn, member of the ABF's Board of Directors

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Photographer Ivo Hadzhimishev

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 From left: Rebecca Matlon and Marlene Miller

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Lenko Lenkov, ABF

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 From left: Kristina Panayotova, Gergana Shkodrova, Elena Filipova and Simona Zdraveva from Vagabond Media

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Boni Bonev, chairman of the Bulgarian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce

 

Jewish Bulgaria exhibition

 Vanya Grigorova, ABF

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