"Stories of Humanity" is the new permanent exhibition at the Cultural Center “Jules Pascin” — a space in which memory speaks, human destinies leave their mark, and communication becomes a bridge between times, people, and cultures. It is built in two main parts, connected by a common idea — the power of human communication.
The temporary exhibition “Susie, the Granddaughter of House №4 and the Time of the Hidden Jewish Stars” was presented at the Cultural Center “Jules Pascin.”
Until January 20, 2025, visitors had the opportunity to view this exhibition, which tells the story of a Jewish family in hiding in Berlin in 1942. Based on the book by Berlin writer and illustrator Birgitta Behr, the exhibition portrayed the story through the medium of a graphic novel.
The Cultural Center “Jules Pascin” presented the temporary exhibition “For Justice and Humanity,” dedicated to the life and work of Vidin Metropolitan Neophyte, with an emphasis on the rescue of Bulgarian Jews.
The exhibition, provided by the State Archives – Vidin, was located on the second floor of the Cultural Center.
"The second significant event in the life of the Jewish community in Vidin, after the consecration of the synagogue in 1894, is the solemn ascension of the two marble commemorative plaques with the names of those who died in the wars (1912-13 and 1915-18) on the facade of the synagogue on November 8, 1931. The ceremony took place in the Jewish prayer house with the participation of the synagogue choir, which opened with 'Baruch Ata,' after which the Jewish priests recited the relevant psalms and prayers.
Julius Mordecai Pincas was born in 1885 in Vidin, a small Bulgarian town, in the wealthy family of Sephardic Jews. His father Marius Pincas, a rich grain merchant, profited from brisk trade along the Danube. He was a powerful and unscrupulous man whom Pascin depicted as the “Bad Rich Man” in his works. After he left his family home, Jules never communicated with his father again.
Dr. Max Nordau’s call for “Muscular Jews” resounded favourably among the Bulgarian Jews. Parallel with the Bulgarian youth fitness societies established after the Liberation began the founding of the Makabi Jewish gymnastic societies. Their motto was “Strong spirit in a strong body”.
The building of the old synagogue, constructed by the noble Yakov Jacob Gattegno, destroyed in 1789 and rebuilt again by its patron Raphael Ashkenazi in 1839] was hit by artillery fire during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), which is why, after the Liberation, the Vidin keilah made a unanimous decision to erect a new, modern building that met their needs at the time. The synagogue has survived to this day, although in poor condition.