Prominent Jewish Bulgarians

Prominent Jewish Bulgarians
According to Britannica.com: Elias Canetti, is a Bulgarian writer (born July 25, 1905, Ruse, Bulgaria—died Aug. 14, 1994, Zürich, Switzerland), and was a German-language novelist and playwright whose works explore the emotions of crowds, the psychopathology of power, and the position of the individual at odds with the society around him. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1981. Canetti was descended from Spanish Sephardic Jews. He wrote in German, his third language, his first two being Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) and English. He learned the latter when his parents settled in England. After his father’s death in 1913, he moved with his mother to Vienna. Educated in Zürich, Frankfurt, and Vienna, Canetti received a doctorate in chemistry at the University of Vienna in 1929. Other prominent Jewish intellectuals of Bulgarian origin or links are: Jules Pascin, Boris Schatz, Dina Schneidermann, Alexis Weissenberg and 25 other intellectuals with unique contribution to world literature, music, painting and science. Reference: http://eliascanetti.org/en/bulgariagavethemstrength/ Valeri Petrov (Bulgarian: Валери Петров, pseudonym of Valeri Nisim Mevorah (Валери Нисим Меворах); 22 April 1920 – 27 August 2014), was a popular Bulgarian poet, screenplay writer, playwright and translator of paternal Jewish origin. Valeri Petrov was fluent in Bulgarian, English, Russian, German, Italian and Spanish. His English language was at such a high level that he translated the complete works of Shakespeare into Bulgarian. He probably knew also French (since his mother was a French language teacher) and Hebrew. Solomon Isaac Passy (Bulgarian: Соломон Исак Паси) (born 22 December 1956) is a Bulgarian scientist, politician, and innovator, founder and President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria (since 1990), Foreign Minister in the Government of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (2001-2005), ex Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2004. He represented Bulgaria at UN Security Council and was its Chairman (September 2002 and December 2003), and was nominated by Bulgaria for Secretary General of NATO (2009). As Foreign Minister he negotiated and signed Bulgaria's accessions to NATO (2004) and the EU (2005) - projects which he initiated as Member of Parliament back in 1990. Passy served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Affairs (2005-2009) and Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security (2001). He was a Member of Parliament in three legislations (1990-1991, 2001-2005, 2005–2009) and the first CEE Vice-President of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA), Paris (1996-1999) and Chair of the Transparency and Accountability Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE (2006-2009). In the 1980s Passy was active in anti-establishment and pro-democratic movements. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematical logic, and was a computer scientist at Sofia University and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1979-1994). Passy is a pioneer of Bulgaria's Antarctic presence and membership in the Antarctic Treaty. Maxim Behar (Bulgarian: Максим Бехар) is a Bulgarian businessman of Jewish descent. He is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of M3 Communications Group, Inc, a public relations and public affairs company and a Hill+Knowlton Strategies partner since 2000. Behar is also president of the International Communications Consultancy Organization, board member of PR Museum in New York, and a frequent speaker at national and international events. He is also Chairman of the Board of World Communications Forum in Davos. Isaac Passy (Bulgarian: Исак Паси; 13 March 1928 in Plovdiv – 13 August 2010) was a Bulgarian Jewish philosopher specializing in aesthetics. He was a professor at Sofia University from 1952 until 1993. He published over 40 monographs and edited some 80 volumes with philosophical texts from various epochs. He was the father of Solomon Passy.
Compiled by Rami E. Kremesti M.Sc., CSci, CEnv, CWEM Last updated: August 13, 2021 Buckinghamshire, UK

According to Britannica.com:

Elias Canetti, is a Bulgarian writer (born July 25, 1905, Ruse, Bulgaria—died Aug. 14, 1994, Zürich, Switzerland), and was a German-language novelist and playwright whose works explore the emotions of crowds, the psychopathology of power, and the position of the individual at odds with the society around him. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1981.

Canetti was descended from Spanish Sephardic Jews. He wrote in German, his third language, his first two being Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) and English. He learned the latter when his parents settled in England. After his father’s death in 1913, he moved with his mother to Vienna. Educated in Zürich, Frankfurt, and Vienna, Canetti received a doctorate in chemistry at the University of Vienna in 1929.

Other prominent Jewish intellectuals of Bulgarian origin or links are: Jules Pascin, Boris Schatz, Dina Schneidermann, Alexis Weissenberg and 25 other intellectuals with unique contribution to world literature, music, painting and science.

Reference: http://eliascanetti.org/en/bulgariagavethemstrength/

Valeri Petrov (Bulgarian: Валери Петров, pseudonym of Valeri Nisim Mevorah (Валери Нисим Меворах); 22 April 1920 – 27 August 2014), was a popular Bulgarian poet, screenplay writer, playwright and translator of paternal Jewish origin.

Valeri Petrov was fluent in Bulgarian, English, Russian, German, Italian and Spanish. His English language was at such a high level that he translated the complete works of Shakespeare into Bulgarian. He probably knew also French (since his mother was a French language teacher) and Hebrew.

Solomon Isaac Passy (Bulgarian: Соломон Исак Паси) (born 22 December 1956) is a Bulgarian scientist, politician, and innovator, founder and President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria (since 1990), Foreign Minister in the Government of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (2001-2005), ex Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2004. He represented Bulgaria at UN Security Council and was its Chairman (September 2002 and December 2003), and was nominated by Bulgaria for Secretary General of NATO (2009).

As Foreign Minister he negotiated and signed Bulgaria's accessions to NATO (2004) and the EU (2005) - projects which he initiated as Member of Parliament back in 1990.

Passy served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Affairs (2005-2009) and Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security (2001). He was a Member of Parliament in three legislations (1990-1991, 2001-2005, 2005–2009) and the first CEE Vice-President of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA), Paris (1996-1999) and Chair of the Transparency and Accountability Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE (2006-2009).

In the 1980s Passy was active in anti-establishment and pro-democratic movements. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematical logic, and was a computer scientist at Sofia University and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1979-1994). Passy is a pioneer of Bulgaria's Antarctic presence and membership in the Antarctic Treaty.

Maxim Behar (Bulgarian: Максим Бехар) is a Bulgarian businessman of Jewish descent. He is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of M3 Communications Group, Inc, a public relations and public affairs company and a Hill+Knowlton Strategies partner since 2000. Behar is also president of the International Communications Consultancy Organization, board member of PR Museum in New York, and a frequent speaker at national and international events. He is also Chairman of the Board of World Communications Forum in Davos.

Isaac Passy (Bulgarian: Исак Паси; 13 March 1928 in Plovdiv – 13 August 2010) was a Bulgarian Jewish philosopher specializing in aesthetics. He was a professor at Sofia University from 1952 until 1993. He published over 40 monographs and edited some 80 volumes with philosophical texts from various epochs. He was the father of Solomon Passy.

Compiled by Rami E. Kremesti M.Sc., CSci, CEnv, CWEM

Last updated:

August 13, 2021

Buckinghamshire, UK