Sephardic Jews in Bulgaria
Romaniote Jews were living in Bulgaria when the territory was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1396. Ashkenazi refugees from Bavaria arrived in 1470. Sephardim arrived in the early 16th Century, and settled in the existing communities.
Bulgaria achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, and Jews were granted equal rights. A huge synagogue was consecrated in Sofia in 1909 in the presence of Tsar Ferdinand I.
Between 1920 and 1934 the Jewish community grew from 16,000 to 48,565. There appears to have been less Jewish emigration from Bulgaria than other Balkan countries.
In the Second World War, Bulgaria was supported the Nazis. The government protected Jews within Bulgaria proper but allowed the deportation of Jews from territories annexed from Yugoslavia. Virtually all the deportees were murdered in the Holocaust. After the War most of Bulgaria’s Jews emigrated, especially to Israel.
Sephardic Jewish Genealogy in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian archives include both Ottoman records and Sharia (Islamic) court records in which Jews will be mentioned.
Sources:
- Die Protokollbücher des Kadiamtes Sofia bearbeitet [Edited Protocol Book of the Sofia’s Kadi’s Office] by Galab D. Galabov and Herbert W. Duda is a 462 page and indexed German translation of a key source from Ottoman rule in Bulgaria. I have not yet reviewed the book, but there is hopefully mention of Bulgarian Jews.
- A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames in Bulgaria: A Window on Its History by the late Mathilde Tagger is a good starting point. The link takes you to other sources on Jews in Bulgaria.
- There is a list of Jewish names in Bulgarian.
- Moscona, I.: “The origin of the Jewish Bulgarian Names”, 1967.
- Les Juifs espagnols en Bulgarie by Paul Mézan, 1925
- Jewish Community of Bulgaria archives project.
- The Bulgarian Jews website (Hebrew).
- The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People records for the Jews of Bulgaria.
- Shalom Organization of Jews in Bulgaria
- Bulgarian Jewish Heritage Alliance of America
- Bulgaria State Archives
- Genealogy of the Nisim family
- Bulgaria Finding Aid of the AIU
Dr Zvi Keren has written several books on Jews in Bulgaria, including Studies of Jewish Life in Bulgaria: From the 16th to the 20th century.
Dr Joseph Benatov leads tours to the Jewish Balkans, including Bulgaria.
Bulgarian Directories
- Алманах царство България / Bulgarisches Staatsadressbuch [Bulgarian State Address Book]. 1917. Leipzig: Dr. Iwan Parlapanoff & Co.
- Алманах царство България / Bulgarisches Staatsadressbuch [Bulgarian State Address Book]. 1919. Leipzig: Dr. Iwan Parlapanoff & Co.
- Le Guide Sam – Bulgarie, 1922
Vital Records in Bulgaria
Civil registration of Births and Deaths were introduced in 1891 and became mandatory in 1898. Today Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates are issued by the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice and municipal civil registration offices (Матричен отдел).
Bulgarian Census
The first population census in Bulgaria was conducted in 1880 under the Ottoman Empire authorities, which counted the population of the country and its various regions.
After Bulgaria gained its independence in 1908, the first census under Bulgarian rule was conducted in 1909. Subsequent censuses were held in 1920, 1934, 1946, 1956, 1965, 1975, 1985, and 1992. The 2001 census was the first conducted after Bulgaria’s transition to a democratic system of government.
If you have found this page useful, please consider making a small donation to support this site and my work. Do you need a professional genealogist to work on your Sephardic genealogy? Click here.