Selected records related to the history of the Jewish community of Dupnitsa and Kustendil

Records of the Jewish community of Dupnitsa (1915-1978) and Jewish community of Kustandil (1940-1972) relating to various activities of the Jewish communities of Dupnitsa and Kustandil before, during and after WWII. Included are correspondence of communities officials’ with local authorities, Central office of the Jewish Consistory, financial and budget reports of the Jewish communities, minutes of the board meetings, record books of the Dupnitsa Jewish school, statistical information, annual reports, and bylaws etc. The collection also includes personal collection of Assen Grigorov Suitschmesow (1899-1977), Bulgarian Righteous Gentile who played an instrumental role in preventing the deportation of Bulgarian Jews in 1943. Siuchmezov's personal papers contain extensive correspondence files with various individuals in Israel and Bulgaria (Jewish survivors, Bulgarian government officials etc) related to his rescue activities during WWII.

Arranged in two series: 1. Jewish Community-Dupnitsa: Correspondence with the Central Consistory of the Jews in Bulgaria and other Jewish organizations around the world, protocol books, reports, requests, complains, and statistics; 2. Jewish Community of Kustandil (KCSU): Correspondence with court and orders for liquidation of Jewish companies, with local administration relating to prohibition of Jews to travel, visit public places, limiting the right of Jews, etc.; Assen Grigorov Suitschmesow papers including scrapbooks with the article "Who saved the Jews in Bulgaria" by Haim Ulriver; Lists of baptized Jews, photographs of Jewish community in Bulgaria, Jewish newspapers and reports; protocol books of meetings, outgoing diary of letters, statistics, distribution of wages, exhibition by Vladka Tosheva-Grozdanova for the participation of her uncle Miltenov for the rescue of the Jews.