The mayor of Burgas who saved Jewish families during World War II

On May 30, 2025, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Burgas, dedicated to Dr. Dyanko Parvchev, the mayor of the city during World War II. The plaque was initiated by the Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation "Alef" and marks the place where this remarkable man lived and worked.

Dr. Dyanko Parvchev was appointed mayor of Burgas in 1939 and was described as a committed democrat working for the development of the city. In 1943, two orders were issued for the deportation of Jewish families from Burgas. Despite the order of the Commission for Jewish Affairs, Mayor Parvchev opposed this measure. He contacted the mayors of Karnobat and Yambol and together they went to Sofia, where they held discussions with influential people, institutions, and parties to stop the deportation. Their efforts were successful, and the Jewish families of Burgas survived.

At the ceremony for the unveiling of the memorial plaque, the Mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, emphasized that the more such signs with memories of great deeds and examples of self-sacrifice there are in the city, the more memory will remain. The Chairman of the Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation "Alef", Alberta Alalai, thanked the Mayor and the Municipal Council for supporting the proposal and posthumously awarding the title of "Honorary Citizen of Burgas" to Dr. Dyanko Parvchev.

The ceremony was attended by Mayor Dimitar Nikolov, the Chairman of the Municipal Council Mihail Hadjiyanov, municipal councilors, and participants in the International Youth Literary and Film Festival "Friendship - Meaning and Salvation". One of Dr. Dyanko Parvchev's granddaughters, Maria Koeva, also arrived for the unveiling of the memorial plaque, and she was unable to hide her excitement that her grandfather's name had been retrieved from oblivion.