Albania’s parliament held a special session on Thursday to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust on the occasion of International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, in the presence of representatives from the Embassy of Israel.
The UN General Assembly designated 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which coincides with the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps in 1945.
“We have organised the First Balkan Forum against anti-Semitism. It is part of humanity’s project for a world of well-being, peace and security. The Holocaust was a terrible chapter in the history of humanity,” said Parliamentary Speaker Lindita Nikolla.
The President of Israel Isaac Herzog sent a video message which was played in the assembly. He thanked the Albanian people for supporting Jews during World War II.
“Israel will be grateful to the Albanian people for their support. In many ways, Albania is a true leader in the Balkans when it comes to promoting a Holocaust memorial and fighting anti-Semitism. There is still much work to be done,” he said.
During World War II, more than 2,000 Jewish people sought refuge in Albania. They were welcomed by the local population during its occupation by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Albanians gave Jews Albanian names and sheltered them in mountain villages. Jewish people were even allowed to worship in mosques and a Star of David can still be seen in one mosque in the city of Berat.
Albania became the only European country to have more Jews living there at the end of the war than at the start but fllowing the defeat of Germany, most of the population emigrated. The country is home to a Jewish Quarter in Vlora and Berat, a Jewish Museum, and a Jewish school although the actual number of Jews in Albania remains very few.
There is also a Holocaust memorial in the Tirana Lake Park, and some 75 Albanians have been recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for their contribution to saving Jews during World War II.
Albanian President Bajram Begaj also commemorated the day, stating “Memory helps human beings to separate good from bad, right from wrong, and without it, societies can never reach a better future.”
He added, he was proud to be president of a country that distanced itself from one of the most inhumane acts in history.
“The faith and hospitality of the Albanians is the origin of this unique and unusual solidarity…The efforts of Albanians, Muslims and Christians, to hide and protect the Jews, risking their own lives to unite them in the Albanian community,” he added.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
