Since the time of the Roman Empire Jewish people have been in Bulgaria. In July of 1940, the first discriminatory laws against Jews were passed in Bulgaria. These policies, The Law for the Protection of the Nation forced Bulgarian Jews to live under curfew with their freedoms increasingly being stripped away from them. Many were taken from their homes and round up into poor ghetto neighborhoods and forced to wear a yellow Star of David button. For my grandparents, Tika and Isaac, this was their reality as they grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria and endured the hardships of World War II as Jews in Europe. As a result of their safe immigration to Israel in the late 1940s and later their journey to the United States, the yellow Star of David button has remained in my family as one of the only objects that have made it to America from their original home in Sofia, Bulgaria. The yellow Star of David embodies why my family is here in the United States after fleeing anti-Semitism in Bulgaria during the Second World War. Over time the Bulgarian yellow Star of David has changed symbolic representation as different generations have held the button. The star reminded them of the time they were forced to leave their parents behind and move to Israel. The button has transformed its representation as a symbol of terror into an emblem of pride. As a third-generation family member to hold this button, it reminds me of the hardworking displaced immigrants who created so much for future generations.  

– Sofia Djerassi

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant