Bulgarian doctor claims Auschwitz survivors live to age 100 because they were starved

'There was not a single fat person in Auschwitz': Dr. Lyudmila Emilova sparked outrage after saying on a morning show that Auschwitz survivors "cleansed their bodies very much" and thus reached the age of 100; Jewish community and Israeli embassy in Bulgaria strongly condemned the statement, and the doctor was forced to apologize.

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A respected doctor made a horrifying statement as the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Bulgarian nutritionist Dr. Lyudmila Emilova caused a stir in the country after saying on a morning show that starvation is a good thing and "whoever survived Auschwitz and lived over 100 years, it was for this very reason – because they cleansed themselves, they cleansed their bodies very much”.
Emilova, an internal medicine specialist, presented her theory in a television interview, which encourages starvation and weight loss. "If you don’t eat – you lose weight. There was not a single fat person in Auschwitz. That is, regardless of what diseases people had, what metabolic disorders, etc, they always lost weight," she said.
The chairman of Bulgaria's Jewish community, Professor Alexander Oscar, was quick to harshly condemn the remarks, calling her words stupid and scandalous. "It is true that memory fades with time, but such statements are ridiculous and mock the memory of all the victims of the Holocaust."
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Survivors of Auschwitz: They 'cleansed' their bodies with starvation
Survivors of Auschwitz: They 'cleansed' their bodies with starvation
Survivors of Auschwitz: They 'cleansed' their bodies with starvation
(Photo: AP)
Israel's ambassador to Bulgaria, Yosi Levi Sfari, has registered a complaint with the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and has requested an official condemnation. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, currently headed by Minister Georgi Georgiev, who was previously Deputy Foreign Minister and Bulgaria's first coordinator for the fight against antisemitism, issued a strong condemnation in a statement.
“Such abuse of the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust, whose memory we commemorate today – January 27, the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, is absolutely unacceptable and humiliating,” the ministry said.
“Disrespect for the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and the Nazi death camps has no place in Bulgarian society, which has a long and deep tradition of humanity, tolerance, solidarity and harmonious coexistence,” the statement also said.
The Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria Shalom and its partner organizations said in a statement that:
“On the eve of the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance and on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, such a statement is not only shameful and cynical, but also deeply offensive.
“Drawing parallels between the Holocaust – one of the darkest pages in human history, which led to the death of millions of innocents – and topics such as health or diets is unacceptable and disgraceful,” the statement said.
“It is shameful and humiliating for a public figure to claim that Jews who survived Auschwitz lived to be 100 years old due to 'body cleansing' during their stay in the concentration camp. These words grossly belittle the suffering of millions of people who went through inhuman torture and hunger.”
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Jews in Auschwitz
Jews in Auschwitz
Jews in Auschwitz
Sofia University Professor Albena Taneva, who for a long time represented Bulgaria on the International Holocaust Remembrance Task Force (IHRA), wrote of the doctor: "She has no shame, I cannot bear it. She has such a cynical attitude toward the suffering of victims of such a monstrous genocide, so how is she able to treat patients?"
Ambassador Levy-Sfari welcomed the Foreign Ministry's announcement, adding that he was shocked by the scandalous and despicable statements. He asked the doctor, "Is this what you saw before your eyes?" while attaching photos of those released from the Nazi camp.
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The morning show issued a statement saying that: “the show’s team said that it does not share the inappropriate example of the victims of the Holocaust that she expressed.
‘We offer our sincere apologies to the viewers who felt offended by her words live on the show, as well as to the relatives of the victims of the Holocaust,” it said.
The doctor issued a statement hours after the interview, publicly apologizing and expressing regret for the inappropriate link she made in the interview. "I respectfully bow to the innocent victims of the Holocaust," she said.
Foreign Ministry officials praised the swift manner in which the Bulgarians responded to the interview and pointed out that, while antisemitism is rampant in other places, Bulgaria did not accept an expression of disrespect for the Holocaust or allow antisemitism.
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