During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jews were deported from the Balkan states to labor and extermination camps in Germany and Poland. Bulgaria, with a Jewish population of only 50,000, sided with Hitler's government early on, its king having become convinced that only with German aid could he successfully press his territorial claims to land lost to Greece and Romania. Yet, in the face of constant German demands, Bulgaria's government refused to deport the nation's Jewish citizens. Instead, as the Bulgarian-born Israeli politician Michael Bar-Zohar writes in this fine contribution to Holocaust studies, "the Bulgarian Jews became the only Jewish community in the Nazi sphere of influence whose number increased during World War II." Bar-Zohar attributes the Bulgarian government's successful resistance to a general absence of anti- Semitism among the populace: most Bulgarian Jews were of the working class and had long since been culturally assimilated; even many of the ardent fascists in the government opposed their being murdered. To be sure, Bar-Zohar writes, the Jews of Bulgaria were persecuted--yet thanks to the efforts of leaders like the parliamentarian Dimiter Peshev and the cleric Metropolitan Stefan, they were spared the terrible fate of so many other Jews in the region. Bar-Zohar's book recounts an almost unknown episode of World War II history through a well-told, fast-paced narrative. --Gregory McNamee


From Publishers Weekly
Having lived through the events in this book, Bar Zohar (Suez Top Secret) is motivated by his desire to commemorate the Bulgarians who saved his family and Bulgaria's nearly 50,000 Jews from deportation during WWII. Much of the documentation of this rescue mission was sealed during the country's Communist rule?in part to grab all credit for Communist partisans?but Bar Zohar was able to search the archives and interview survivors after 1991. What emerges is a complex story of heroism mixed with fear. Although the historically weak-willed King Boris III hoped to regain lost territories by collaborating with the Germans, he feared the alliance and played a dangerous game of equivocation until his death under mysterious circumstances in 1943. Boris's part in the rescue of the Jews has been a matter of some contention; Bar Zohar makes a reasoned attempt to restore credit to the king, without denying the heroism of others. Bulgarian politicians, business leaders and clergymen protected the country's Jewish citizens long enough for the tide of the war to turn against the Germans, ensuring the Jews' safety. Although dismayed that Bulgaria did nothing to stop the extermination of Thracian Jews, Bar Zohar recognizes that the ultimate costs of open resistance might have been total annihilation. Ultimately, this is a moving history of many individuals whose heroism was discredited during the Communist regime. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Much of what has been written about how, and why, no Bulgarian Jews were deported to the death camps during the Holocaust has been polemical, with official Communist histories stressing the influence of the party while others glorify King Boris III. Bar Zohar (Bitter Scent, LJ 11/15/96), a former Knesset member and the official biographer of David Ben Gurion, correctly shows that it was a confluence of factors: outspoken profascist Parliament members, the Orthodox Church leadership, an opportunistic (and irredentist) King Boris, and the Bulgarian people, who resisted the efforts of several fanatic leaders who wanted to deport the Jews to certain death. Although Bar Zohar is clearly proud of Bulgaria's record, he does not absolve the king completely. Mixing history, intrigue, and suspense, this accessible and well-researched book should appeal to both general and specialized readers, although it does not completely replace Frederick B. Chary's more scholarly The Bulgarian Jews and the Final Solution, 1940-1944 (LJ 2/1/73), with which it differs on several points.?John A. Drobnicki, York Coll. Lib., CUNYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
In March 1943 Bulgaria's 48,000 Jews were ordered to pack a few belongings and get ready to be taken away by the police. But the deportation order led to such an outcry from the Bulgarian people, including many intellectuals and church leaders, that the government rescinded the order, and Jews already taken into custody were released. Joining in the opposition were pro-fascist politicians and the royal court. In May_ 1943 a second deportation attempt was made, but the orders were canceled once again. Zohar, who was born in Sofia in 1938 and immigrated to Israel in 1948, spent four years researching this book. He interviewed survivors and gained access to the Central National Archives in Bulgaria, to various ministries' archives, the archives of the Saint Synod, the diplomatic and SS archives in Germany, and others. Although the author's claim that there has been nothing written about the rescue of Bulgarian Jews is inaccurate, this is the first book devoted exclusively to the subject. George Cohen


From Kirkus Reviews
A fast-paced account of the dramatic rescue of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from probable annihilation during the Holocaust. Former Israeli Knesset member Bar Zohar vividly describes the Bulgarian effort to keep Bulgaria - s Jews beyond Hitler - s grasp. Despite deportation orders, not one Bulgarian Jew is known to have been delivered to the Nazis. Providing a historical backdrop to this largely unknown story, the author disputes allegations of anti-Semitism in Bulgaria. The Bulgarians, he asserts, were unusually tolerant of Jews, Greeks, and other minorities; pogroms weren - t a native tradition. Other interesting facts: Bulgarian Jews were for the most part a nonobservant lot, not set apart in public by distinct garb or by rites and dietary habits. Nor were they wealthy. They were modest workers - largely craftsmen and peddlers - who lived alongside Christians in the poorest sections of Bulgarian towns. Despite their firm Zionist leanings (90 percent immigrated to Israel after the war), they ``felt so strongly for their homeland they were willing to die for it.'' Unsurprisingly, then, the Bulgarian people remained mostly indifferent to the extreme right - s attempts to incite hatred against the Jews. Rather, Bulgarian society - especially the cultural and political elite - was determined to protect its Jewish minority. Standing particularly firm against anti-Semitism was the Bulgarian Church itself. Bar Zohar documents how, time and time again, the Church confronted the government and challenged anti-Semitic measures. But the Jews of Thrace and Macedonia were less fortunate: he describes the vicious treatment and deportation of these 11,343 forlorn people through Bulgarian territory to the death camps of Treblinka and Majdanek. Weaving elements of romance and espionage into a dramatic tale of redemption, Bar Zohar intrigues and informs us. (b&w photos) (First printing of 40,000; author tour; radio satellite tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

How did tiny Bulgaria stand up to Hitler and the Nazi Empire and be the only Axis-aligned country not to deport a single one of its 50,000 Jews? Beyond Hitler's Grasp narrates the dramatic true story of this extraordinary rescue. Michael Bar-Zohar's magnificently written story reads like an international thriller, involving a beautiful spy, the Church, and even the king himself. The heroism of this small country is finally shared with the world.

FROM THE CRITICS

Abraham H. Foxman

The fact that not a single Jew was deported from Bulgaria during World War II stands as anomaly in the tragic history of Jews under the Nazi regime. Why did this nation refuse to stand by while others abandoned their Jewish population? Michael Bar-Zohar helps us understand this enigma. Beyond Hitler's Grasp is not only a well researched book by a noted historian, but the gripping story of the author's own rescue and a tribute to those responsible for robbing Hitler of an entire community of 50,000 Jews. -- Abraham H. Foxman, National Director Anti Defamation League

Publishers Weekly

Having lived through the events in this book, Bar Zohar (Suez Top Secret) is motivated by his desire to commemorate the Bulgarians who saved his family and Bulgaria's nearly 50,000 Jews from deportation during WWII. Much of the documentation of this rescue mission was sealed during the country's Communist rule--in part to grab all credit for Communist partisans--but Bar Zohar was able to search the archives and interview survivors after 1991. What emerges is a complex story of heroism mixed with fear. Although the historically weak-willed King Boris III hoped to regain lost territories by collaborating with the Germans, he feared the alliance and played a dangerous game of equivocation until his death under mysterious circumstances in 1943. Boris's part in the rescue of the Jews has been a matter of some contention; Bar Zohar makes a reasoned attempt to restore credit to the king, without denying the heroism of others. Bulgarian politicians, business leaders and clergymen protected the country's Jewish citizens long enough for the tide of the war to turn against the Germans, ensuring the Jews' safety. Although dismayed that Bulgaria did nothing to stop the extermination of Thracian Jews, Bar Zohar recognizes that the ultimate costs of open resistance might have been total annihilation. Ultimately, this is a moving history of many individuals whose heroism was discredited during the Communist regime. (Nov.)

Library Journal

Much of what has been written about how, and why, no Bulgarian Jews were deported to the death camps during the Holocaust has been polemical, with official Communist histories stressing the influence of the party while others glorify King Boris III. Bar Zohar (Bitter Scent, LJ 11/15/96), a former Knesset member and the official biographer of David Ben Gurion, correctly shows that it was a confluence of factors: outspoken profascist Parliament members, the Orthodox Church leadership, an opportunistic (and irredentist) King Boris, and the Bulgarian people, who resisted the efforts of several fanatic leaders who wanted to deport the Jews to certain death. Although Bar Zohar is clearly proud of Bulgaria's record, he does not absolve the king completely. Mixing history, intrigue, and suspense, this accessible and well-researched book should appeal to both general and specialized readers, although it does not completely replace Frederick B. Chary's more scholarly The Bulgarian Jews and the Final Solution, 1940-1944 (LJ 2/1/73), with which it differs on several points.--John A. Drobnicki, York Coll. Lib., CUNY

Neil Rubin - Moment Magazine

The word "unique" is vastly abused regarding the plethora of recent Holocaust themed books. But the latest work by Israeli author Michael Bar-Zohar, the official biographer of David Ben Gurion and a former Knesset member, has earned the adjective.

Kirkus Reviews

A fast-paced account of the dramatic rescue of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from probable annihilation during the Holocaust. Former Israeli Knesset member Bar Zohar vividly describes the Bulgarian effort to keep Bulgariaþs Jews beyond Hitlerþs grasp. Despite deportation orders, not one Bulgarian Jew is known to have been delivered to the Nazis. Providing a historical backdrop to this largely unknown story, the author disputes allegations of anti-Semitism in Bulgaria. The Bulgarians, he asserts, were unusually tolerant of Jews, Greeks, and other minorities; pogroms werenþt a native tradition. Other interesting facts: Bulgarian Jews were for the most part a nonobservant lot, not set apart in public by distinct garb or by rites and dietary habits. Nor were they wealthy. They were modest workersþlargely craftsmen and peddlersþwho lived alongside Christians in the poorest sections of Bulgarian towns. Despite their firm Zionist leanings (90 percent immigrated to Israel after the war), they "felt so strongly for their homeland they were willing to die for it." Unsurprisingly, then, the Bulgarian people remained mostly indifferent to the extreme rightþs attempts to incite hatred against the Jews. Rather, Bulgarian societyþespecially the cultural and political eliteþwas determined to protect its Jewish minority. Standing particularly firm against anti-Semitism was the Bulgarian Church itself. Bar Zohar documents how, time and time again, the Church confronted the government and challenged anti-Semitic measures. But the Jews of Thrace and Macedonia were less fortunate: he describes the vicious treatment and deportation of these 11,343 forlornpeople through Bulgarian territory to the death camps of Treblinka and Majdanek. Weaving elements of romance and espionage into a dramatic tale of redemption, Bar Zohar intrigues and informs us. (b&w photos) (First printing of 40,000; author tour; radio satellite tour)