House Passes Wilson Bill Recognizing 60th Anniversary of Rescue of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews

Today, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) made the following remarks after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 77 on a vote of 418-0, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of the historic rescue of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust during March of 1943. Rep. Wilson, Co-Chairman of the House Bulgarian Caucus, introduced the legislation."Bulgaria is truly a remarkable country and deserves this special recognition for saving the lives of thousands of Bulgarian Jews, despite immense Nazi pressure," said Rep. Wilson. "During the time Adolf Hitler was attempting to extinguish all Jewish people from Europe, the Bulgarian people, politicians and civic leaders, succeeded in protecting their 50,000 Jewish compatriots from deportation to the death camps. In fact, Bulgaria was the only country in Europe to increase its Jewish population during World War II.""The Jewish people suffered needlessly at the hands of the 20th Century's most notorious dictator, and Bulgaria was one of the first to understand the immorality and evil intent of this mass murderer. The Bulgarian people should be proud of their long history of ethnic and religious tolerance." "Bulgaria has also proven itself to be a reliable ally in the War on Terrorism, a true friend of the United States, and a partner in disarming the brutal dictator Saddam Hussein," said Rep. Wilson. "I commend the efforts of patriots like Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Ambassador Elena Poptodorova, Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov, Deputy Chief of Mission Emil Yalnazov, and Ambassador Stefan Stoyanov for continuing important reforms, and for leading their entry into NATO."###