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In totalitarian times people visiting the synagogue were treated as suspicious characters. If an official of Jewish origin was spotted visiting the synagogue, he became a subject of persecution. There wasn’t a law forbidding visits to the synagogue, on the contrary, the state financially supported the synagogue. Yet, it was forbidden for children, young people and citizens here. All religions were treated in that way, and this didn’t only happen to us. Religion was considered something bad which had to be abolished. There is also another thing: as a whole, the Bulgarian people aren’t fanatics concerning religious matters, unlike the Catholics, for example. This could also be one of the reasons that in Bulgaria there weren’t large manifestations of anti-Semitism.
Adela had a problem before leaving for Israel. That was in 1966 or 1967. My brother-in-law used to work as a refrigerator technician and upon his immigration to Israel he had to expatriate, sign different declarations, and it was very difficult for him to get permission to settle in Israel. In 1948 there wasn’t such a problem. A lot of people immigrated to Israel then and some of them even wanted to return. Yet, Chervenkov banned the returning [Valko Chervenkov was Prime Minister of Bulgaria between 1950 and 1956]. People were forbidden to come back to Bulgaria on the occasion of weddings or funerals, or as guests, and this brought families a lot of grief.
During the totalitarian times we never attempted to leave for Israel as nobody was allowed. After 1982, when ‘perestroika’ [23] started, another problem occurred, also of importance. The authorities told us that we could leave but only if our relatives over there sent us tickets. It was impossible to buy tickets here. It was rather inconvenient to ask them to buy us a ticket in our local currency in order to go and see them. I remember also that this was a problem even earlier when my wife wanted to visit Israel in 1956. Only by co-incidence then an acquaintance of mine was the Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank and I was able to get some foreign currency through him in order to buy tickets for my wife and daughter and thus they went to Israel. They had only left when the Soviet campaign in Hungary began, the war started and it was a problem for her to return. I went to Israel in 1981 and saw my brother David a year before he passed away. Then I went there after 1985: three years after I had retired.
Adela had a problem before leaving for Israel. That was in 1966 or 1967. My brother-in-law used to work as a refrigerator technician and upon his immigration to Israel he had to expatriate, sign different declarations, and it was very difficult for him to get permission to settle in Israel. In 1948 there wasn’t such a problem. A lot of people immigrated to Israel then and some of them even wanted to return. Yet, Chervenkov banned the returning [Valko Chervenkov was Prime Minister of Bulgaria between 1950 and 1956]. People were forbidden to come back to Bulgaria on the occasion of weddings or funerals, or as guests, and this brought families a lot of grief.
During the totalitarian times we never attempted to leave for Israel as nobody was allowed. After 1982, when ‘perestroika’ [23] started, another problem occurred, also of importance. The authorities told us that we could leave but only if our relatives over there sent us tickets. It was impossible to buy tickets here. It was rather inconvenient to ask them to buy us a ticket in our local currency in order to go and see them. I remember also that this was a problem even earlier when my wife wanted to visit Israel in 1956. Only by co-incidence then an acquaintance of mine was the Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank and I was able to get some foreign currency through him in order to buy tickets for my wife and daughter and thus they went to Israel. They had only left when the Soviet campaign in Hungary began, the war started and it was a problem for her to return. I went to Israel in 1981 and saw my brother David a year before he passed away. Then I went there after 1985: three years after I had retired.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Yosif Avram Levi