Albania Holocaust memorial honors locals who protected Jews

Photo: Israeli Ambassador in Albania, Noah Gal Gendler speaks during the inauguration of a memorial in Tirana (Xhulio Hajdari /Tirana City Hall via AP) (Associated Press).

Albania unveiled a Holocaust memorial in the capital to honor the victims and the Albanians who protected Jews from the Nazis. The Albanian Jewish Community survived the Holocaust and now is affiliated with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

The marble memorial was put at an entrance to Tirana’s Artificial Lake Park, close to Mother Teresa Square. The inscription is written in three languages — English, Hebrew, and Albanian — and it said that “Albanians, Christians, and Muslims endangered their lives to protect and save the Jews.”

Albania is one of the few European countries in which the number of Jews increased after the end of World War II. In 1930, there were registered 204 Jews, mostly in Tirana and Vlora. In 1939, Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria, moved to Albania, later Jews who had fled from Croatia and Serbia also took refuge in Albania. 

Albanians protected their few hundred Jewish friends and helped other Jews who fled from other countries by either smuggling them abroad or hiding them at home. 

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress welcomes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’ condemnation of rehabilitation of Nazi collaborators

Фото: International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), containing 35 member and liaison countries, issued a statement condemning “all attempts to rehabilitate the reputations of persons who were complicit in the crimes of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma.” 

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili welcomed the statement by the IHRA: “The policy of historical memory is undergoing a complicated process of formation, raising essential questions that must be answered. We are witnessing the practice of glorification of persons who had been directly or indirectly involved in the murder of Jews. They are elevated to the rank of national heroes and have become symbols of resistance. The deliberate understatement of their antisemitic ideology and practices is the rewriting of history. This type of policy is inadmissible and contrary to international standards.”

The preservation of historical memory, the prevention of Holocaust denial as well as advocating against the glorification of Nazi collaborators are among the top priorities of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. Our mission is to safeguard the historical truth and perpetuate the memory of heroes and victims.

President Mirilashvili also stressed that “a national hero embodies the national idea and serves as an indispensable basis for the formation of national identity. National leaders are responsible for making the right choice for the sake of future generations.”

Trough its Public Diplomacy program, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is working hard to promote the adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism across the countries of the Euro-Asian region. Moldova and Serbia have officially adopted this efficient approach to the task of identifying antisemitism; some other Euro-Asian states are in the process of considering this significant move. 

“Considering the rising wave of antisemitism, it is extremely important to draw attention to the formulation of relevant legislation as well as integrating Holocaust studies into state educational programs. We join forces with the IHRA to promote research, public awareness, and political responsibility around the issue of rehabilitation,” – said the CEO of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov. 

EAJC congratulates the President of Kazakhstan on his 80th anniversary

The EAJC CEO, Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov presented the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress at the roundtable by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The event was also attended by former Israeli prime-ministers, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, ambassadors of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and other officials.

Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov read out the congratulations of the EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, which, among other things, states:

“I am glad and proud that Kazakhstan and Israel are confidently advancing along the path of mutually beneficial cooperation, and make personal efforts so that Israeli technological achievements, in particular in the field of providing the population with clean drinking water, come to Kazakhstan and serve its people.

We at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress are grateful to the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, for his tireless support of the Jewish community of Kazakhstan and the contribution he makes to strengthening the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Israel.”

Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov told the honored guests about a large-scale sociological study of the Jewish population conducted by the EAJC in early 2020 in the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Kazakhstan.

“According to the study results, the vast majority of respondents combine Jewish identity with patriotic feelings towards Kazakhstan, their country of residence. The respondents also had not submitted any evidence to demonstrate the existence of the problem of antisemitism in Kazakhstan”, said Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov.

Holocaust survivors met students online

The online meeting with former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps was attended by students and youth from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yakutsk, and other Russian cities.

It was the fifth meeting in the framework of a joint project of the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students (RUJS) and the Moscow Public Organization of Jews – former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps (MOOU-UGiK), organized with the support of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. This time, in connection with the current epidemiological situation, the meeting was held online.

The childhood of these people is inseparably linked with the history of the Holocaust, only by a miracle could they survive the horrible tragedy of the Jewish people. Oleg Mortkovich, Ilya Schwartz, Boris Srebnik, Ida Spektor, and Zinovy Rotenberg shared with participants their amazing personal stories.

The preservation of historical memory and the prevention of Holocaust denial belong to the priorities of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. We are grateful to the Holocaust survivors for taking the time and mental strength to meet with the young and share the tragic stories of those terrible days, passing on their memory to future generations.

EAJC Chairman, Aaron G. Frenkel, helped Israeli coronavirus victims

Chairman of the Board of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Aaron G. Frenkel contributed five cargo aircraft full of medical equipment and 14 million shekels to the fight against COVID-19 through the largest Israeli voluntary organization, Yad Sarah.

Mr. Frenkel has also matched all donations to the organization to bring life-saving respiratory equipment to Israel.

“In my life, I have learned that our tests in life are not when things are good. It is when things are bad – when people need you. When a disaster is coming, that is when you are tested,” said Aaron G. Frenkel.

Yad Sarah, the largest national volunteer organization in Israel, with seven thousand volunteers and more than 115 branches nationwide, has embarked on a lightning campaign to bring thousands of respirators and oxygen generators to Israel. 

Mr. Frenkel, a long-time supporter of Yad Sarah, considers the organization uniquely suited to deal with this type of medical emergency: Yad Sarah’s existing network of contacts with its suppliers enables it to receive the necessary equipment. 

EAJC congratulates Alexander Bilinkis

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress wishes Happy Birthday to the EAJC Vice President, Alexander Bilinkis.

Dear Alexander, we highly appreciate our fruitful cooperation, and it is hard to overestimate your long-term activities for the benefit of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova.

Today, you receive congratulations from the people in whose fate you played and continue to play an important role. We proudly and joyfully join the wishes of good health, good luck, and continued success in all your endeavors.

We are confident that together we can overcome all difficulties and continue our joint activities aimed at the prosperity of the Jewish people.

EAJC Central Asia Office continues programs through online

Most of the programs and activities of the EAJC office in Central Asia (Mitsva Association) have switched to the online format, which has significantly expanded their audience.

The online platform of the Rimon Jewish community center in Almaty offers 16 volunteer projects for different generations. The online Rimon Mini-Club offers lessons for preschool children. Young community activists, young families, and older people take part in psychological training, intellectual games, discussion platforms, needlework and culinary classes.

Future youth leaders from the School of Madrichim have begun creating projects on the Jewish Ashkenazi culture. They will develop and defend a learning course designed for classes, training, and seminars at the Rimon community center.

Participants of the online Theater on Wheels acting studio are already working on a mini-performance dedicated to the Rosh Hashanah. 

The Jewish community of Kazakhstan took part in the global Shabbat, which brought together 500 people from 90 cities of the CIS and the State of Israel.

Participants in a culinary master class dedicated to Shavuot prepared milk chocolate pudding, a traditional dish of the European Jewish communities.

The contribution of the evacuated intellectuals to the development of Kazakhstan’s culture became the topic of the Tenth International Historical scientific and practical conference “Evacuation to Kazakhstan” to be held in Almaty on September 23, 2020, under the auspices of the Mitsva Association, the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, and Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

EAJC President congratulates new Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Israel

The President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, congratulated the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Israel, Feruza Makhmudova, on the occasion of her appointment to this honorary position.

“Dear Madam Ambassador, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Israel. Your assumption of office will give a new impetus to mutually beneficial dialogue and will contribute to the development and deepening of friendly relations between the two countries. 

I take this opportunity to assure you of the unconditional commitment of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress to a friendly dialogue between the Uzbek and Jewish peoples. I sincerely hope that our friendship will continue to develop, providing new fruitful opportunities and uniting people.”