The Holocaust Memorial was inaugurated today (July 9) in Lake Park.
"Together with Prime Minister Edi Rama, US Ambassador Yuri Kim and Israeli Ambassador Noah Gal Gendler, we place today in the Lake Park a memorial to all the survivors, but also to the rescuers, and the good-hearted Albanians, who they saved lives, saving the whole world. ” - said the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj.
During his speech , the Ambassador of Israel, Noah Gal Gendler, said that "today we manifest the gratitude of the Jews for the courageous work of the Albanian people during the Holocaust." "A great act from a small country that resembles the values ??of humanity, sacrifice and love," he said.
US Ambassador Yuri Kim stressed that "after Hitler came to power, Albanians saved hundreds of Jews from certain death", while Prime Minister Rama added that "he is glad that this memorial is part of a public space".
The Holocaust refers to the genocide perpetrated by Adolf Hitler against Jews during World War II. During the war, about 2,000 Jews sought refuge in Albania, and most were treated well by locals by sheltering them in mountain villages.
In 2019, a conference was held entitled "An Issue of Humanity: The Salvation of the Jews in Albania during the Holocaust" at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Albania's Ambassador to the UN, Besiana Kadare , said that Albanians sent a bright and powerful message to the world through the history of hospitality, sacrifice and religious harmony, a message that is very much needed in today's world.
"I am proud today to honor the legacy of the Albanian people and to be part of a nation that stood on the right side of history, at the right time and made the right decision," she said.
The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, a well-known philanthropist and heir to the Estée Lauder Companies, said Albania "stands out among other countries as one of the few exceptions in Europe to show such nobility".
