Distinctive Jewish badge (yellow star button) that the Jews of Bulgaria were forced to wear on their clothing by order of the German authorities.
During the war, Rachel and her parents fled Varna wandering from village to village within Bulgaria. At the end of the war, her father passed away due to illness, and Rachel and her mother returned to Varna. Rachel resumed her academic studies and married Avraham Baruch. On 18 February 1948 the couple boarded the "Bonim Velohamim" ship in Yugoslavia that was diverted by the British to the Cyprus detention camps, where they remained until their entry to Israel was permitted.
Yad Vashem Artifacts Collection
Donated Rachel (Ashkenazi) Baruch, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Despite widespread and determined opposition to anti-Jewish legislation, the Bulgarian government issued a directive to wear the Jewish star on 26 August 1942.
Unlike the cloth badges used in other countries, in Bulgaria the distinctive badge was a small yellow plastic button in the shape of a Star of David. However, due to the resistance of the general public and the church, the law was not enforced rigorously and only about one fifth of Bulgarian Jews obeyed the directive.
