Yellow Button Badge of Bulgarian Jews – Bulgaria, c. 1942.
In January 1941, the Bulgarian Parliament approved the Law for the Protection of the Nation, which resembled the Nuremberg Laws, and two months later Bulgaria joined the Tripartite Pact and became an ally of the Axis powers. Despite widespread opposition in Bulgaria to anti-Jewish legislation, on August 26, 1942, the government issued a decree instructing Jews aged 6 and over to wear an identifying mark. At the same time in the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, the Department of the “Commission for Jewish Affairs” was established, headed by lawyer Alexander Belev, one of the leaders of the extreme right-wing organization “Ratnik”, which dictated the new anti-Semitic laws. Unlike cloth badges in other countries, Bulgarian Jews were marked with a small plastic button in the shape of a yellow Star of David. However, due to the opposition of the local population and the Church, the decree was not fully enforced, and only about one-fifth of Bulgarian Jews wore the badge, hence its rarity.
3.5×3.5 cm. Condition Very Good .
