Daniel S. Zion (3 August 1883, Salonica – 13 November 1979, Jaffa) was an Orthodox rabbi,
Kabbalist[* Betsalʼel, N. ''Kabbalah and the Holocaust'' (Orot, 2001)] and
political activist
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...
. Zion moved to
Sofia, Bulgaria, as a slaughterer and cantor.
Bulgaria's Jewish community at the time was almost completely assimilated, and there were no ultra-Orthodox communities in the country during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. In 1943, Zion was removed from his position on the local
rabbinic court for his newfound belief that
Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish Messiah.
The Holocaust in Bulgaria and subsequent life in Israel
In May 1943, alongside
Chief Rabbi Dr. Asher Hananel (1895–1964), Zion helped prevent the deportation of 800 Jews from Sofia. They did so by appealing to the
Metropolitan Bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis.
Originally, the term referred to the ...
of Sofia,
Metropolitan Stefan, then head of the
Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Sofia. Bishop Stefan then appealed to Tsar
Boris III
Boris III ( bg, Борѝс III ; Boris Treti; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier) , was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until h ...
.
On 24 May 1943, Rabbi Zion addressed a gathering at a synagogue, then participated in a mass street demonstration against the anti-Jewish
Law for protection of the nation. This law was in effect between 23 January 1941 to 27 November 1944.
Two days after the demonstration, Zion was arrested among many others. Having previously enjoyed refuge under the protection of Bishop Stefan, he was transported to a
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
for Jews at Somovit, on the bank of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
.
After the war, Communist interests appointed Zion Chief Rabbi of Sofia. As a result, he was given the moniker "the Red Rabbi.". In 1949, Zion immigrated to
Jaffa in the newly formed
state of Israel.
In June 1950, for reasons to be discussed in the following section, a panel of Israeli rabbis ruled that Zion was mentally ill and removed him from the position of rabbi in Jaffa.
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Relationship with Christianity
Not long after his arrival in Israel, Rabbi Zion was accused of having an interest in Dunovism, a Bulgarian mystical Christian sect led by Peter Deunov
Peter Dunoff ( ; bg, Петър Дънов ; July 11, 1864 – December 27, 1944), also known by his spiritual name Beinsa Douno ( bg, Беинса Дуно, links=no ), and often called the Master by his followers, was a Bulgarian philosopher an ...
. Dunovism combined elements of Orthodox Christianity
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Chur ...
with local Bulgarian religious practices.
On 13 June 1950, an Israeli periodical reported that the then Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rabbi Isser Yehudah Unterman (1946-1964), had interviewed Sephardi Jews
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...
who knew Zion personally.
The Sephardim reported that Zion had become increasingly anxious in recent times. They claimed that he had fasted for three days and he was hallucinating and experiencing visions. Ultimately, a conference of rabbis declared him "insane." Zion was not allowed to enter any synagogue in the city of Jaffa.Kol Yisrael
''Kol Yisrael'' or ''Kol Israel'' ( lit. "Voice of Israel", also "Israel Radio") is Israel's public domestic and international radio service. It operated as a division of the Israel Broadcasting Service from 1951 to 1965, the Israel Broadcasti ...
Radio, the national radio station, which was broadcast in Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. He expressed his view that Jesus fulfilled the various messianic prophecies. Zion further claimed that he served as the president of the Union of Messianic Jews in Israel
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
(''Ichud Yehudim Meshihiim Be-Israel''), an organization founded by Abram Poljak
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...
.
Works
* ''Iz Nov Put,''(Sofia, 1941)
* ''Pet godini pod fashistki gnet,'' (''Memoir: Five Years Under Fascist Oppression''), (Sofia, 1945)
* ''Troiniya put na Noviya Chovek,'' (Sofia, 1946)
* ''Seder ha-Tephilot: Tephilat Daniel''(Sofia, 1946)
*
References
Books
* ''Friends' Intelligencer,'' (1950), (Volume 107, Nos. 26-52), Pg. 614
* ''American Jewish Year Book'', (1951), (Volume 52), Pg. 361
* ''Annual :Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria "Shalom"''(1951, 1970, 1980, 1984 and 1987)
* Arendt, H. ''Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,'' (Viking Press, 1963), Pg. 169
* Boyadjieff, C. ''Saving the Bulgarian Jews in World War II'' (Free Bulgaria Centre, 1989)
* Chary, F.B. ''The Bulgarian Jews and the Final Solution, 1940-1944'' (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1977)
* Chary, F.B. "Bulgaria", Wyman, D.S. and Rosenzveig, C.H. (eds.), ''The world reacts to the Holocaust'' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996)
* Fein, H. ''Accounting for Genocide: National Responses and Jewish Victimization during the Holocaust,'' (Free Press, 1979)
* Groueff, S. ''Crown of thorns: The Reign of King Boris III of Bulgaria, 1918-1943'' (Madison Books, 1987)
* Haskell, G.H. From Sofia to Jaffa: The Jews of Bulgaria and Israel,' (Wayne State University Press, 1994.)
* Koen, A. and Assa, ''Saving of the Jews in Bulgaria, 1941-1944'' (Setemvri, 1977)
* Rothkirchen, L. ''Yad Vashem Studies on the European Jewish Catastrophe and Resistance,'' (Volume 7), (Yad Vashem, 1968)
* Sachar, H.M. ''Farewell España: The World of the Sephardim Remembered'' (Howard Morley, 1994)
* Steinhouse, C.L. ''Wily Fox: How King Boris Saved the Jews of Bulgaria From the Clutches of His Axis Ally Adolf Hitler,'' (AuthorHouse, 2008)
External links
theoptimists.com
"The Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Holocaust: Addressing Common Misconceptions" - ''Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe''
tu-berlin.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zion, Daniel
1881 births
20th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire
Rabbis from Thessaloniki
Bulgarian Orthodox rabbis
Kabbalists
The Holocaust in Bulgaria
Bulgarian emigrants to Israel
Bulgarian Jews in Israel
1979 deaths