This is a photograph of Venezia Konorti and other women working in a clothing factory in Sofia, Bulgaria after World War II. Women of a variety of ages are sewing by hand, with one woman working on a sewing machine.
The factory was opened in 1945 by the Joint Distribution Committee (the Joint) as a way to provide jobs for Bulgarian Jews after World War II. At the factory, the workers repaired second-hand clothing. The Joint provided the sewing machines and the materials needed to repair the clothing. Besides providing jobs, the clothes that were repaired were much needed by the Jewish community since there was a clothing shortage at the time.
Venezia’s ancestors came to Bulgaria over 200 years previously. They were a Sephardi family and spoke Ladino and Bulgarian. The family lived in a Jewish neighborhood of Sofia where her father attended synagogue and the family celebrated all of the Jewish holidays together, which she remembers fondly. During World War II, Venezia’s family was ordered to leave their homes and were interned outside of Sofia. After the war, most of Venezia’s family moved to Israel, while she stayed in Bulgaria. Although not choosing to live in Israel, Venezia felt a strong allegiance to the country and believed that the existence of a Jewish state made Jews around the world feel safe and secure. In her later years, Venezia participated in various activities with the Jewish community.
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The Jewish Community in Bulgaria - The Jewish community in Bulgaria has a long and rich history. The first Jews arrived after the Roman conquest in about 46 AD, and Josephus himself wrote about Jews living there. More Jews arrived in the seventh century, escaping ill-treatment by the Byzantines. Following the lead of other countries, the Church Council demanded the expulsion of Jews from Bulgaria in 1352, although according to records the decree was not executed meticulously. By the time that the Ottoman Empire had full control of the country, there were several sizeable Jewish communities across Bulgaria. For several centuries, the community was split into Romaniotes, Ashkenazim, and Sephardim, until 1640 when a single rabbi was appointed for all three groups. Once the modern state was formed in 1878, Bulgarian Jews were granted equal rights. Jews were drafted into the Bulgarian Army and fought in the Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885), the Balkan Wars (1912-13), and World War I. The deaths of 211 Jewish soldiers of the Bulgarian Army, among them 28 officers, were recorded during World War I. In July 1940, the Bulgarian authorities introduced anti-Semitic laws, and in March 1941, Bulgaria joined the Axis alliance and took part in the German attack on Yugoslavia and Greece. The first wave of Jewish deportation began in the winter of 1943 from the Bulgarian-occupied areas such as Macedonia, Thrace, and Pirot. These Jewish communities were delivered to the Germans who sent them to their death in Treblinka. In February 1943, the Bulgarian government approached the British with a proposal to send their Jews to Mandatory Palestine, but the plan was declined by British Foreign Minister Eden. The next stage was to deport the Jews from Bulgaria proper, but due to protests launched by opposition politicians, clergy, and intellectuals, Bulgarian Jews were not sent to the death camps but were expelled to the countryside and to labour camps. After the war, Israel formally thanked Bulgaria for defying Nazi commands to deport their Jews. In the years following the Holocaust, most Jews left Bulgaria, the majority immigrating to Israel. It is estimated that the Jewish community of Bulgaria currently comprises between 2000 and 6000 people, most of whom live in Sofia. There are two functioning synagogues, a Jewish elementary and high school, youth movements, and representation of international Jewish organisations.
Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) – Also called the Joint, the JDC was founded in New York in 1914 with the goal of providing assistance to Jews living in pre-State Israel during Ottoman rule. The Joint quickly expanded its mission to include providing assistance to Jews around the world and rescuing them from hostile countries. The Joint is currently active in more than 70 countries.