Ceremony in Bulgaria’s capital marks second anniversary of Hamas terrorist attack on Israel

A moving commemoration ceremony, organised by the embassy of the State of Israel and the Shalom Organisation of the Jews in Bulgaria, was held in capital city Sofia on October 16 to mark the second anniversary of the attack on Israel by terrorist group Hamas.

The October 16 date was chosen on the basis of the Jewish calendar.

A minute of silence was held at the start of the event, which was attended by public office-bearers, several foreign diplomats and leaders and members of the Bulgarian Jewish community.

Victims and survivors of the attack were honoured with a performance by Leah Todorova of the song “Ears of Wheat”, written just six days after the brutal attack two years ago.

Israeli ambassador Yosi Levi Sfari told the ceremony: “This was not an attack on Israel, but an attack on humanity itself. For two years the pain has not faded, the families of the dead, the injured, the survivors of the hostages still bear the wounds of that day.

“Today, all the living hostages are home. This is also the moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to the governments of Bulgaria for standing by Israel not only in our darkest moments of grief, but also in the fight for a better and more peaceful future,” he said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Angelieva, who is the national coordinator for the fight against antisemitism, said that just days after the October 7 2023 attack, then-Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov and then-Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel had visited Israel to express Bulgaria’s solidarity with the country.

“The current Bulgarian government, as well as I in my capacity as national coordinator in the fight against antisemitism, are determined and have proven to work in this regard on absolute intolerance and the immediate elimination of any manifestation of hatred and animosity against the Jewish community in Bulgaria and the state of Israel,” Angelieva said.

“For us, this is a categorical red line and I assure you that there is no and cannot be any change in this regard,” she said.

The ceremony included a showing of the film Letter to David (Michtav Le’David), which was introduced by director Tom Shoval.

The powerful and moving film is a documentary about the twin brothers David and Eitan Cunio, who had appeared in Shoval’s debut feature film Youth several years earlier. David Cunio was kidnapped by Hamas during the terrorist attack while Eitan sheltered with his family in the Nir Oz kibbutz where they lived.

Shoval told the event that they were the last audience to see the film in its original version, which he regarded as unfinished, because it would now be re-edited to include David Cunio’s recent release from captivity.

(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)