Rafael Moshe Kamhi
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Rafael Moshe Kamhi (Bulgarian and ; 1870–1970), also known by the military pseudonym Skanderbeg, was a
Sephardic Jew Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
from Monastir (now
Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...
) in Ottoman Macedonia. Besides being Jewish, Kamhi felt also strong attachment to the
region of Macedonia Macedonia ( ) is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time; however, it came to be defined as the modern geographical region by the mid-19th century. ...
as his native homeland. Kamhi was elected as liaison officer of the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it initia ...
(IMRO). He directly participated in the
Miss Stone Affair The Miss Stone Affair (, ) was the kidnapping of American Protestant missionary Ellen Maria Stone and her pregnant Bulgarian fellow missionary and friend Katerina Cilka by the pro-Bulgarian Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.''O ...
and in the
Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising (), consisting of the Ilinden Uprising (; ) and Preobrazhenie Uprising,Keith Brown (2013). Loyal Unto Death Trust and Terror in Revolutionary Macedonia. Indiana University Press. pp. 15-18. . was an organi ...
of August 1903. Kamhi is among the few survivors of the Holocaust in Thessaloniki after being saved by Bulgarian authorities, while 90% of the Jewish population there was murdered.


Biography

Rafael Moshe Kamhi was born on 15 December 1870 in Bitola, Ottoman Empire (modern-day North Macedonia) in the family of
Sephardi Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
. His father was Moshe Solomon Kamhi (1842–1891). At the end of 19th century around 4,000 Jews lived in Bitola. Kamhi was educated at the Jewish Gymnasium and was multilingual: while he spoke Ladino, Turkish, Greek, French and Bulgarian. When he was 23 Kamhi decided to build for himself additional floor on his father's house. Later he hired there Fidan Gruev from
Smilevo Smilevo () is a village in North Macedonia, municipality of Demir Hisar. It is famous for the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising which started in the village in the morning of August 2, 1903 (see Battle of Smilevo). The decision for the uprising ...
, an IMRO-activist who introduced him with his brother,
Dame Gruev Damyan Yovanov Gruev (, , ; January 19, 1871 – December 23, 1906) was а Macedonian Bulgarian teacher, revolutionary and insurgent leader in the Ottoman regions of Macedonia and Thrace. He was one of the six founders of the Internal Macedonia ...
. Afterwards he became ''de facto'' member of the IMRO in 1894 and in his house was made a shelter, where the archive and the case of the organization were kept. In the coming years
Gotse Delchev Georgi Nikolov Delchev (; ; 4 February 1872 – 4 May 1903), known as Gotse Delchev or Goce Delčev (''Гоце Делчев''),Originally spelled in older Bulgarian orthography as ''Гоце Дѣлчевъ''. - Гоце Дѣлчевъ. ...
,
Gyorche Petrov Gyorche Petrov Nikolov,(; ) born Georgi Petrov Nikolov(; ) (April 2, 1865 – June 28, 1921), was a Macedonian Bulgarian teacher and revolutionary, one of the leaders of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO).Milan Matov Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
,
Pere Toshev Petar (Pere) Naumov Toshev (, ; 1865–1912) was a Bulgarian teacher and an activist of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization. In the historiography in North Macedonia he is considered an ethnic Macedonian revolutionar ...
,
Boris Sarafov Boris Petrov Sarafov ( Bulgarian and ; 12 June 1872 – 28 November 1907) was a Bulgarian Army officer and revolutionary, one of the leaders of Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee (SMAC) and of the pro-Bulgarian, rightist wing of the In ...
and others also were hidden there. Later the shelter was discovered by the Ottoman authorities and Kamhi was arrested, but he was released after paying a bribe. In 1896, he was made de jure member and elected as Bitola-delegat on the
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
Congress of the organization. In Thessaloniki was taken a decision of changing the nationalistic character of the IMRO statute, which determined its members can be only Bulgarians. In this way the IMRO was open to all inhabitants of European Turkey. In 1901–1902 he participated in the "
Miss Stone Affair The Miss Stone Affair (, ) was the kidnapping of American Protestant missionary Ellen Maria Stone and her pregnant Bulgarian fellow missionary and friend Katerina Cilka by the pro-Bulgarian Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.''O ...
." After the decision to rise the Ilinden Uprising in 1903, Kamhi became responsible on the relations between the authorities in Bulgaria and the revolutionary organization. As a merchant he traveled often, and that made him convenient for that purpose. By these special trips he met with a number of Bulgarian politicians, including Ferdinand I and the Crown Prince, later Bulgarian Tsar -
Boris III Boris III (; 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 his death in 1943. The eldest son ...
. Along with these frequent visits to Bulgaria, some of which involved his brother, they both were suspected and arrested by the Ottoman authorities. Subsequently, the brothers were interned in
Debar Debar ( ; , sq-definite, Dibra or Dibra e Madhe) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has an ethnic Albanian majorit ...
. Kamhi directly participated in the
Ilinden uprising Ilinden ( Bulgarian/ Macedonian: Илинден) or Ilindan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Илиндан), meaning " Saint Elijah's Day", may refer to: Events * Republic Day (North Macedonia) Republic Day () or Ilinden () is a national holiday in North ...
in Debar while his brother, Menteš Kamhi (1877—1943), supplied rebels with weapons and other materials. Later the brothers organized a campaign to raise funds to the victims of the uprising in the Jewish community in Macedonia. In 1905 Kamhi participated in the Rila Congress of IMRO. After the subsequent split of the Organization, Kamhi maintained close links with left-wing activists of the Macedonian liberation movement as
Gyorche Petrov Gyorche Petrov Nikolov,(; ) born Georgi Petrov Nikolov(; ) (April 2, 1865 – June 28, 1921), was a Macedonian Bulgarian teacher and revolutionary, one of the leaders of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO).Dimo Hadzhidimov Dimo Hadzhidimov (, ; 19 February 1875 – 13 September 1924) was a Bulgarian teacher, revolutionary and politician from Ottoman Macedonia. He was among the leaders of the left-wing of Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), which ...
. He did not hide his dislike of the centralist's wing activists. The left-wing faction, opposed Bulgarian nationalism, but the centralist's faction drifted more and more towards it. After the
Balkan wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
Bitola remained in Serbia and he moved to
Xanthi Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...
, then part of Bulgaria. At the end of World War I he joined the so-called
Provisional representation of the former United Internal Revolutionary Organization The Temporary representation of the former United Internal Revolutionary Organization ( Bulgarian:''Временно представителство на бившата Обединена Вътрешна Революционна Организ ...
. The Temporary representation advocated for autonomy of Macedonia as a part of a
Balkan Federation In late 19th and throughout the 20th century, the establishment of a Balkan Federation had been a recurrent suggestion of various political factions in the Balkans. The concept of a Balkan federation emerged in the late 19th century among left-w ...
. It threatened the autonomous Macedonia as a supranational state populated by different people as Bulgarians, Greeks, Serbs, Turks, Vlahs, Jews etc. The Bulgarian government of Alexander Malinov offered at the end of the First World War in late 1918 the idea of a united autonomous Macedonian state under the jurisdiction of the Great Powers, but it was refused. Due to the threat of a second national disaster for Bulgaria, before the signing of the
Treaty of Neuilly The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (; ) was a treaty between the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand, and Bulgaria, one of the defeated Central Powers in World War I, on the other. The treaty required Bulgaria to cede various territor ...
, Kamhi conducted in 1919 a meeting with the then Prime Minister
Teodor Teodorov Teodor Ivanov Teodorov (; 8 April 1859, Elena – 5 August 1924) was a leading Bulgarian politician and legal expert who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria immediately after the First World War World War I or the First World War (28 Ju ...
, who struggled to keep order in the defeated country. He was offered to move to
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, where the headquarters of the
Triple Entente The Triple Entente (from French meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was built upon th ...
was located. He had to stand there with aim to present the interests of Bulgaria in Macedonia to the victors in the war. With the permission of the French General Charpy, he settled and stayed to live in the city. It is said he continued to work unofficially for Bulgarian interests in the period between the two World wars, when living in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. During World War II, after the occupation of Greece, Kamhi participated in the creation of Bulgarian Club in Thessaloniki. In 1943, Rafael Kamhi was arrested by the German occupying forces in the city and had to be sent to a concentration camp in Central Europe. With the support of Bulgarian organizations and institutions as the
Macedonian Scientific Institute The Macedonian Scientific Institute (MSI; ) is a Bulgarian scientific organization, which studies the region of Macedonia and mostly the Macedonian Bulgarians. The Institute issues the journal "Macedonian Review". Establishment and activity It wa ...
, the Ilinden (Organization), the Union of Macedonian brotherhoods, the premier
Bogdan Filov Bogdan Dimitrov Filov (; 10 April 1883 – 1 February 1945) was a Bulgarian archaeologist, art historian and politician. He was prime minister of Bulgaria during World War II. During his tenure, Bulgaria became the seventh nation to join the Axis ...
, and
Tsar Boris III Boris III (; 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 his death in 1943. The eldest son ...
himself, he was released. Meanwhile, nearly all 54,000 Salonica's Jews were shipped to the Nazi extermination camps. The Jewish communities of Bulgarian-controlled Yugoslavia and Greece territories, numbering 12,000 were also almost completely wiped out. Kamhi's brother, who lived in Bitola, together with his relatives there, and all his relatives in Thessaloniki, were deported in
Treblinka Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the Treblinka, ...
. Nevertheless, 48,000 Bulgarian Jews native to the old borders of Bulgaria, were saved. Two of the few survivors were his niece Rosa and nephew Joseph Kamhi, the children of his brother. Rosa after the war married the Yugoslav General Beno Ruso and Joseph moved to Israel. After his rescuing Kamhi moved to
Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
, where he remained until 1949, when he moved to Israel. After the war, at the request of the Macedonian Scientific Institute and the Jewish Institute in Sofia, he began working on his memoirs, still in Bulgaria. From Tel Aviv he continued his correspondence with both Institutes in Sofia. He died in ripe old age in 1970 in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
.


Legacy

All the memoirs of Rafael Kamhi are now kept in the Bulgarian State Archive in the so-called Jewish collection of books and documents. The archives that he left contain documents in Bulgarian and Ladino. The collected memories of Rafael Kamhi were published under the title "I, the
voyvoda Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
Skender Bey" in 2000 in Sofia. In 2013, his memoirs were republished under the title "Rafael Kamhi: recollections of a Macedonian Jew revolutionary". The first work of Macedonian historiography about Kamhi was written by Todor Simoski and published in 1953. In March 2011 the
President of Macedonia The president of the Republic of North Macedonia (; )In Macedonian, the feminine form of the position is ''Претседателка на Република Северна Македонија'', while in Albanian it is ''Presidentја е Rep ...
addressed participants of the Central Commemorative gathering in remembrance of the Holocaust of the Macedonian Jews and emphasized that Kamhi "was one of the promoters of the idea of a free and independent Macedonia". The Jewish Community in the Republic of Macedonia and Holocaust Memorial Fund of the Jews from Macedonia organized the event "Tribute to commander Rafael Kamhi and Heroes of Ilinden" during the national festival "10 days of the Krusevo Republic" in 2012. A
wax figure A wax sculpture is a depiction made using a waxy substance. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief. The properties of beeswax make it an excel ...
of Rafael Moshe Kamhi is among 109 wax figures of notable Macedonian revolutionaries and intellectuals exhibited at the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle in
Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
.


Honours

Kamhi Point Kamhi Point (, ‘Nos Kamhi’ \'nos kam-'hi\) is the sharp rocky point on the northwest coast of Alexander Island in Antarctica projecting 450 m westwards into Lazarev Bay south of the terminus of Oselna Glacier. The feature is named after ...
in
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
is named after Rafael Kamhi.Kamhi Point.
SCAR
Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica The Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (CGA) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is the authoritative international gazetteer containing all Antarctic toponyms published in national gazetteers, plus basic information about th ...


References


Sources

* * * * Рафаел Камхи: Спомени на един евреин македонски революционер, съставител: Цочо Билярски, издателство: Синева, , второ издание, 2013 год.


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamhi, Rafael Moshe 1870 births 1970 deaths People from Bitola Members of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Balkan federalists Bulgarian emigrants to Israel Macedonian Jews Bulgarian Jews in Israel People from the Ottoman Empire