Norbert J. Yasharoff collection

The Norbert J. Yasharoff collection consists of photographs of the Yasharoff family of Sofia, Bulgaria before and during World War II; a letter written by Norbert Yasharoff to his cousin Narcisse Barouch, dated June 26, 1943; speeches relating to the Yasharoff family’s Holocaust experiences in Bulgaria; and Reaching the Light at the End of the Tunnel, a Holocaust memoir written by Norbert J. Yasharoff. Many of the people in the photographs are mentioned in the memoir. The letter written by Norbert Yasharoff is addressed to his cousin Narcisse Barouch who was stationed in a northern Bulgaria in a forced labor battalion. The letter was written one month after the family’s expulsion from Sofia and describes the family’s experience. Norbert Yasharoff (1930-2013) was born on February 18, 1930 in Sofia, Bulgaria to Joseph (1894-1971) and Nelly Yasharoff (1910-1982). He had a sister, Odette Yasharoff (later Ora Odette Wolfram, 1936-2006). His father, Joseph Yasharoff, a prominent lawyer, was also active in the Jewish community, heading relief efforts for the city’s Jewish orphans. In May 1943, the family was deported to Pleven in northern Bulgaria where they lived with relatives. Norbert even attended public school. The Soviet army arrived on September 9, 1944. Norbert finished high school in Sofia after the war. In 1948 he immigrated to Israel and later moved to the United States. Norbert Yasharoff married Halina Peabody and they had two sons. Norbert Yasharoff died on January 19, 2013.