Albania’s Righteous Gentiles

I would like to share a short story from my father Ferman Bendaj. I grew up with these stories of brave Albanian families doing amazing things for Jewish families in need during WWII.

So it happens, that my family is one of these families that sheltered Jewish families during the time of German invasion. Dulaj family is my grandmothers family from my father side. My family comes from both Fier and Vlora, cities in Albania.

Dulaj family were situated in a village called Trevllazer in Vlora. It was 1943 when Muhasil was coming back from work and encountered 2 scared couples and their kids wandering in the village. After talking to them and understanding what was happening, he invited them into his home. It was a large double story house so plenty of space for everyone (unfortunately demolished at present times). The men were staying downstairs and the women and the kids upstairs. The house was located close to the forest and Muhasil and the others created a pathway in the bushes that led to some small wooden shelters in the forest in case the Germans were coming to check. My father tells me that they would simulate the situation as if the Germans were coming and were training everyone, including the kids, on what to do if that would happen. The families stayed together until Albania was liberated. Then the Jewish families moved to the city in Vlora. They stayed there until 1990, then moved back to Izrael. One of the families my father remembers that was called Solomon and a baby that was born in 1943 was named Jakov Solomon.

There were multiple attempts from Germans to retrieve the list of names of the Jewish people in Albania but they never received any names. That is why, as i mentioned in the meeting, Albania is the only country in the world where not a single Jewish family was ever given to the Germans even after threats, burned villages and many other blackmail techniques.

In this photo, you will see our family representative Adhurim Dulaj in 1992 that was invited to go in Israel to receive the certificate of honor from Yad Vashem, in the name of Muhasil Dulaj. The name is engraved in the honor wall in Jerusalem as per the photo. There were a few Albanians who were invited for the same purpose as you can see in the photos attached. The group of people is with Jewish and Albanian people who still kept in touch even after Communism was ended in 1990.

Photo of the moment when Adhurim Dulaj is receiving the Certificate of Honour

The medal and the certificate in Albanian is the “Honor of the Nation” decoration, for the bravery, hospitality and loyalty shown towards the Jewish families during WWII, that enforces the traditional values of Albanians.