The restored building of the Vidin Synagogue opened its doors as a Cultural Center "Jules Pascin".
Hundreds of guests and citizens gathered on September 4 to attend the official opening of the renovated building, which became possible within the project "Restoration and adaptation of the Synagogue - Vidin at the tourist site "Jules Pascin Cultural Center", funded under the Operational Program "Regions in Growth" 2014 – 2020, priority axis 6 "Regional tourism".
The Mayor of Vidin Municipality Dr. Tsvetan Tsenkov, together with the Metropolitan of Vidin Daniil, welcomed the official guests of the event, including the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, accompanied by his wife Desislava Radeva, the Minister of Culture Krastyu Krastev, His Excellency Mr. Yosef Levi Sfari, Ambassador of the State of Israel, the Chairman of the Central Israelite Spiritual Council and member of the Executive Bureau of OJB "Shalom" Maxim Delchev, The Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria Rav Yoel Ifrah, the Deputy Chairman of the Archives State Agency Rumen Borisov, the MP Lyuben Ivanov, the Deputy Governor of Vidin Ani Arutyunyan and others. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of various Jewish organizations in our country.
Dr. Tsenkov addressed the attendees with a greeting, in which he noted that old Vidin is proud of its history and remarkablecultural monuments, and the local people are known for their tolerance towards other cultures and religions. As a proof of the empathy for the fate of people of another faith, Dr. Tsenkov noted the place of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which played a key role in the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during World War II. The contribution of the Vidin community is also great. In that period in Vidin lived over 1200 Jews and there were no injuries thanks to the intercession of Metropolitan Neophyte and the citizens of Vidin. "The spirituality of Vidin can all of you feel it. I am glad that the old capital welcomes you and wishes you to enjoy this temple of love, because spirituality is love, "said Dr. Tsenkov.
In his speech, Head of State Rumen Radev said: "Vidin has been waiting for this moment for decades – the day when the magnificent Vidin Synagogue will be able to shine again in its authentic form. And I am sure that only people who have seen with their own eyes the recent ruins of the temple can realize the enormous work that has been done, appreciate the efforts of the institutions, the local authorities, Mr. Tsenkov and his team, admire the mastery of the restorers of the Synagogue. "The President thanked everyone who with hard work, energy and enthusiasm contributed today to witness this wonderful event not only for Vidin but for the whole of Bulgaria. He also thanked Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog for the wonderful video address that was broadcast during the official ceremony.
Greetings were also delivered by the Minister of Culture Krastyu Krastev, Mr. Maxim Delchev and Mr. Rumen Borisov, who handed a congratulatory address on behalf of Assoc. Dr. Mihail Gruev - Chairman of the Archives State Agency, and his blessing was given by Rav Yoel Yfrah.
During the ceremony, our fellow citizen prof. Vili Lilkov gave the mayor Dr. Tsvetan Tsenkov a painting by Jules Pascin to stay for the new cultural center.
Then the official guests were invited by the Director of the Center Juliana Dimitrova to see the exhibitions arranged on the occasion of the event. The exhibition "Two Guest Paintings" by the artists Jules Paskin and Moni Aladjem was presented by Dr. Bogdan Alexandrov, Head of Department at the Art Gallery "Nikola Petrov", Sofia. Vidin.
Also of interest were the exhibited 29 old printed Jewish books provided by the Central State Archives.
The guests had the opportunity to get acquainted with the originals of documentary materials related to the opening and consecration of the Synagogue in Plovdiv. Vidin in 1894, as well as with the exhibition entitled "Condemnation and Salvation", included in the National Program to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during World War II, provided by the Archives State Agency. The exhibition was presented by Svetlana Krasteva, Head of the State Archives Department – Vidin.
The attendees saw the beautiful building of the restored Synagogue to the sound of the Symphony – Vidin.
