Albania creating a museum to honour citizens who rescued Jews

Albania is creating an historic cultural space to celebrate the heroic actions of citizens who rescued Jews during the Holocaust.

The “Besa” museum, (meaning ‘faith’, or ‘word of honour’) in the heart of capital city Tirana, will be housed in the historic ‘House of Toptans’, a building designated as a cultural heritage monument.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama made the announcement at a gala event honoring Albanian “Righteous Among the Nations” during his recent visit to Jerusalem.

The nation’s ministry of culture has launched an open design competition for architectural design proposals, funded by Israeli philanthropist Alexander Machkevitch, who said: “I am humbled to be a part of this important project that will memorialize the bravery of Albanians who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The Albanian people, and particularly Prime Minister Edi Rama, have shown great commitment to preserving the memory of these heroic acts, and it is an honour to work alongside them. This project is a testament to the power of solidarity and compassion in the face of darkness, and I hope it will inspire future generations to continue this legacy of kindness.”

The Albanian government hopes  the “Besa” museum will pave the way for the creation of a hub celebrating Jewish history, tradition, culture and art.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said: “It is another very important moment in Tirana’s history, urban development, and architecture, and I believe that we will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief from a long-standing burden of obligation in relation to our children and visitors to our country, which is related to perhaps the most glorious page of Albanian history, the rescue of Jews during World War II”.

Albanian minister of culture, Elva Margariti said: “The rescue of the Jews during World War II is one of the most beautiful pages in the history of the Albanians. Christians and Muslims sacrificed everything to protect them. For Albanians this is ‘besa‘; it is a value that we will pass on to our children, telling them this extraordinary story. The Besa Museum will be a bridge of communication between generations; a dialogue space for sharing the best values of our peoples”.

Albania is the only country in Europe that had more Jews after the second world war than before. The Albanian people refused to hand over a single Jew to the Nazis, and many Albanians risked their lives to protect Jews from persecution.