Rescue in Albania : One Hundred Percent of Jews in Albania Rescued from Holocaust

Even before World War II started, Albania was a haven for Jews escaping from the Nazis. Untold thousands were able to get visas to pass through or stay in Albania. Jews have lived in Albania since the start of the Common Era with the last influx at the end of the 19th century. When the Nazis asked for a list of Jews, in 1943, the Albanian puppet government refused, and Jews went into hiding. Albanian Jews, and others who were fortunate enough to get into Albania, were hidden by Albanian Moslems and Christians and all escaped the Holocaust. Until recently, the closed Balkan country of Albania followed an isolationists policy and no one outside the country reported the noble deeds. In 1991, the majority of the Jewish community moved to Israel. They brought with them documents attesting to the wondrous rescue by the Albanian people, who just now are receiving the honors they have well earned.