Studia z Dziejów Rosji i Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej Vol. 51 no 1 (2016), Special Issue

The article concentrates on anti-Jewish excesses in the Bulgarian territories of the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The acts of violence against this group started at the very beginning of the war, when Russian and Cossack troops crossed the Danube and entered the city of Svishtov. Bulgarians joined the soldiers and together with them started to plunder Jewish district. Few of them died. The pogroms repeated in several different towns (especially in Stara Zagora and Kazanlak), where Jews were killed and Jewish houses robbed and plundered. The prevailing atmosphere of chaos and fear of retaliation by retreating Turkish troops aided local Slavic population in committing crimes and murders of Jews, who were sometimes accused also of being Turkish spies among Bulgarians. The only way of survival of the Jews was to fly into territories free of ongoing war campaign and many of them did so. Is seems, however, that the atrocities against the Jews did not, in general, influence their attitude towards Bulgarians. In many cities they helped Bulgarians and tried to provide safety and order for local populations. Bulgarian participation in the attacks denies the persistent in their national awareness ideal of being traditionally tolerant and free of anti-Semitism nation. The Russian and Cossack military troops also brought to the Bulgarian lands the idea of modern anti-Semitism, which previously based mainly on their culture and folklore.s. 5-20Tekst ang.Streszcz. ang.The article concentrates on anti-Jewish excesses in the Bulgarian territories of the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The acts of violence against this group started at the very beginning of the war, when Russian and Cossack troops crossed the Danube and entered the city of Svishtov. Bulgarians joined the soldiers and together with them started to plunder Jewish district. Few of them died. The pogroms repeated in several different towns (especially in Stara Zagora and Kazanlak), where Jews were killed and Jewish houses robbed and plundered. The prevailing atmosphere of chaos and fear of retaliation by retreating Turkish troops aided local Slavic population in committing crimes and murders of Jews, who were sometimes accused also of being Turkish spies among Bulgarians. The only way of survival of the Jews was to fly into territories free of ongoing war campaign and many of them did so. Is seems, however, that the atrocities against the Jews did not, in general, influence their attitude towards Bulgarians. In many cities they helped Bulgarians and tried to provide safety and order for local populations. Bulgarian participation in the attacks denies the persistent in their national awareness ideal of being traditionally tolerant and free of anti-Semitism nation. The Russian and Cossack military troops also brought to the Bulgarian lands the idea of modern anti-Semitism, which previously based mainly on their culture and folklore.p. 5-20Text eng.Sum. eng