Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
How Muslims in Albania Saved Jews From the Holocaust
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
January 29, 2019

Share

Most anywhere else in Nazi-occupied Europe, a run-in with authorities by a Jewish family probably would have resulted in severe malnutrition, eventual starvation, or execution. Not so in Albania.
Following the German occupation in 1943, the Albanian population, the majority of whom were Muslims, refused to comply with the occupier’s orders to turn over lists of Jews living there.
In addition, the government gave many Jewish families fake documents so that they could move about freely in the country.

Watch Besa: The Promise


The Albanians not only protected their Jewish citizens, but also provided sanctuary to Jewish refugees who had arrived in Albania, when it was still under Italian rule, and now found themselves faced with the danger of deportation to concentration camps.
In fact, there were more Jews in Albania at the end of the war than beforehand.

Photo of Albanian resistance during World War II
One of the first pictures to reach the outside world from Albania showing how thousands of hardy mountaineers led by Dervish abbots, lawyers, gendarmes, and peasants gave the Nazi invaders no rest. February 1, 1944. (AP Photo)

Additional Reading

To learn more, read “Besa: A Code of Honor” at this link or “What made Muslim Albanians risk their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust?” from The Times of Israel.
 

DON'T MISS

Fuzzy Little Adeline Will Purr You to Sleep

DON'T MISS

Boeing’s Financial Woes Continue, While Families of Crash Victims Urge US to Prosecute

DON'T MISS

Police Tangle With Students in Texas and California as Wave of Campus Protest Against Gaza War Grows

DON'T MISS

Meet the Valley Republican Predicting a November Win Over Esmeralda Soria

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Construction Workers on 2018 Fresno Unified Project Still Not Paid

DON'T MISS

Slumping California Risks Losing World’s ‘5th Largest Economy’ Title

DON'T MISS

Ukraine Uses Long-Range Missiles Secretly Provided by US to Hit Russian-Held Areas, Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Upward Bound: Edison High’s Garcia Headed to Johns Hopkins

DON'T MISS

Boxing Star Ryan Garcia Wants to Meet Netanyahu, Pledges Aid for Gaza Children

DON'T MISS

Fong Won’t Debate Boudreaux, but We Get Hot Topic Answers Anyway

UP NEXT

Boeing’s Financial Woes Continue, While Families of Crash Victims Urge US to Prosecute

UP NEXT

Police Tangle With Students in Texas and California as Wave of Campus Protest Against Gaza War Grows

UP NEXT

Meet the Valley Republican Predicting a November Win Over Esmeralda Soria

UP NEXT

Slumping California Risks Losing World’s ‘5th Largest Economy’ Title

UP NEXT

Ukraine Uses Long-Range Missiles Secretly Provided by US to Hit Russian-Held Areas, Officials Say

UP NEXT

Upward Bound: Edison High’s Garcia Headed to Johns Hopkins

UP NEXT

Boxing Star Ryan Garcia Wants to Meet Netanyahu, Pledges Aid for Gaza Children

UP NEXT

Fong Won’t Debate Boudreaux, but We Get Hot Topic Answers Anyway

UP NEXT

Legislation Pandering to Tribal Casinos Is a Bad Bet for Fresno Cardroom Employees

UP NEXT

About 1 in 4 US Adults Over 50 Say They Expect to Never Retire, an AARP Study Finds

Meet the Valley Republican Predicting a November Win Over Esmeralda Soria

13 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Construction Workers on 2018 Fresno Unified Project Still Not Paid

13 hours ago

Slumping California Risks Losing World’s ‘5th Largest Economy’ Title

14 hours ago

Ukraine Uses Long-Range Missiles Secretly Provided by US to Hit Russian-Held Areas, Officials Say

16 hours ago

Upward Bound: Edison High’s Garcia Headed to Johns Hopkins

Local Education /

17 hours ago

Boxing Star Ryan Garcia Wants to Meet Netanyahu, Pledges Aid for Gaza Children

17 hours ago

Fong Won’t Debate Boudreaux, but We Get Hot Topic Answers Anyway

18 hours ago

Legislation Pandering to Tribal Casinos Is a Bad Bet for Fresno Cardroom Employees

18 hours ago

About 1 in 4 US Adults Over 50 Say They Expect to Never Retire, an AARP Study Finds

19 hours ago

Biden Signs a $95 Billion War Aid Measure With Assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

19 hours ago

Fuzzy Little Adeline Will Purr You to Sleep

Beautiful little mama Adeline once had a home, a warm bed and food, people to love her. But her humans failed to have Adeline spayed and whe...
Animals /

24 mins ago

Animals /
24 mins ago

Fuzzy Little Adeline Will Purr You to Sleep

13 hours ago

Boeing’s Financial Woes Continue, While Families of Crash Victims Urge US to Prosecute

13 hours ago

Police Tangle With Students in Texas and California as Wave of Campus Protest Against Gaza War Grows

CA District 27 Assembly candidate Joanna Garcia Rose
13 hours ago

Meet the Valley Republican Predicting a November Win Over Esmeralda Soria

13 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Construction Workers on 2018 Fresno Unified Project Still Not Paid

14 hours ago

Slumping California Risks Losing World’s ‘5th Largest Economy’ Title

16 hours ago

Ukraine Uses Long-Range Missiles Secretly Provided by US to Hit Russian-Held Areas, Officials Say

Local Education /
17 hours ago

Upward Bound: Edison High’s Garcia Headed to Johns Hopkins

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend