TIRANA, Albania – President Isaac Herzog visited Tirana, the capital of Albania, last week on a historic visit, the first of its kind since Israel and Albania established diplomatic relations 33 years ago.
The working visit, at the invitation of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, allowed Herzog to pay his respects to the Albanians who saved the lives of Jews during World War II. Albania, which until recently had a majority of Muslim inhabitants, became a haven during the Holocaust for hundreds of Jews fleeing neighboring countries, despite the fact Albania was occupied first by Italy and later by Germany.
Albania was the only occupied state in Europe that, at the end of the war, had on its soil more Jews than before the war. Yad Vashem has recognized some 75 Albanians as Righteous Among the Nations.
“After World War II, there were 10 times more Jews in Albania than before the war,” Valentina Leskaj, former labor and social affairs minister and currently the first Muslim member of the advisory board of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, told The Jerusalem Post.
“Albania is considered as a Muslim country, but it is not. We have three main religious groups: Muslims, Christian Orthodox, and Catholics. Jews were protected in Albania by members of all religious groups without any exception. This happened because, in Albania, religion was never a dividing factor. The religion of the Albanians is Albanian. National identity was always stronger here than religion.
“Jews were protected despite the heavy price of doing so. Albania was a poor country at the time. Those protecting Jews were often poor people, and they shared the little they had with the Jews. People also forged ID documents for the Jews despite the risk they took by doing so.
“Some say that the Jews paid their saviors. This is not true. The Jews who managed to cross the border to Albania had hardly anything with them.
The unique case of Albania's relationship with Jews
“Albania is a unique case of saving the Jews during the war. It came from a human cultural tradition that all Albanians share.”
Leskaj promoted the adoption in 2020 by the Albanian Parliament of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. It was the first time the parliament in Tirana had unanimously adopted a decision.
“It was an expression of the traditional good relations and mutual respect we have had with the Jews since they first came to Albania after the 1492 Expulsion [of Jews] from Spain. The first Jews came to the port town of Vlora, which is why we are now building there a national Jewish museum. Albania is one of the rare countries that has no antisemitism.
“Generally, [the incidence of] antisemitism in most Balkan countries is far lower than in Western Europe. One can see that, especially after October 7. Here there is no hate of Jews. Of course, there is no immunity from antisemitism, as we are not isolated from the world.
“Young people don’t know much about the Holocaust. That’s why we have to work hard on informing people not only about the Holocaust but also about the new forms of antisemitism. There are far too many prejudices and myths and far too little knowledge about Jews, Judaism, and their contribution to the Western world.”
Amos Dojaka is the president of the small Albanian Jewish community of 60-70 members. Dojaka’s mother and grandparents were saved by Muslims during World War II.
“My grandfather, who was an Albanian Jew, went before the war to study in Czechoslovakia, where he met and married my grandmother,” recounted Dojaka. “They both moved back to Tirana.
“When the Italians occupied Albania, Jews here didn’t have many difficulties. However, the situation changed with the arrival of the Germans in 1943. They [Dojaka’s grandparents] were hidden by a Muslim family in northern Albania and survived the war, while all my Czech grandmother’s family, the Steins, were murdered at Auschwitz. Around 89% of those who saved Jews in Albania were Muslims.”
Dojaka stressed that even though religion does not play any role in everyday life in Albania, Jews are well respected by all other Albanians.
“We don’t feel any antisemitism here,” confirmed the president of the Jewish community. “Since October 7, Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has been trying to agitate and incite here against Israel, but the response to it is very minimal. Albanian tradition doesn’t allow him to influence society. Except for some tiny demonstrations, it has been calm.
Strengthing relations between the two countries
“President Herzog’s visit is a good opportunity to show the good relations between Albania and Israel and the tight cooperation that exists between both countries. It’s a historical moment in the Albanian-Israeli friendship.”
ALBANIA WAS the last former Communist country in Europe to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, in 1991. In 2012, former Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Liberman opened an Israeli embassy in Tirana.
“Traditionally, Albania has a very positive attitude toward Israel, which is also expressed in the international arena,” Galit Peleg, Israel’s ambassador to Tirana, told the Post. “It’s a small country but a very brave one. It’s a permanent member of the Organization of Islamic Countries; in 2023, it was a member of the United Nations Security Council, and now it’s a member of the UN Human Rights Council. In each one of these forums, Albania expresses very clear positions on fighting antisemitism and standing by Israel.
“Because Albania wants to join the EU, it aligns itself with EU positions. Albania will stand on our side if the EU does not reach a joint position on an Israeli matter. After October 7, Albania expressed its support of Israel unequivocally. But even a year before, when the OIC passed another anti-Israeli resolution, the Albanian representative declared that it did not reflect the spirit of his country and left [the hall where the delegations were meeting].
“A large majority of the population here supports Israel. Nobody is calling for a boycott of Israel. No Palestinian flags are waving in the streets. On the contrary, last June in Tirana, we celebrated Israel’s cultural week, and the city was covered with Israeli flags.
“Now we have to work on expanding the economic cooperation between both countries, as we are still far from reaching its potential.”