Albania honors Holocaust Remembrance Day, highlighting its unique role in Jewish history

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Edi Rama commemorated the victims of the Holocaust with a message of reflection and pride for Albania’s role during one of history’s darkest chapters. Writing on social media platform X, Rama emphasized that Albania stands out in Europe for having sheltered and protected Jewish refugees during World War II, resulting in more Jewish residents at the war’s end than at its beginning.

“In this day of honoring the millions lost and the resilience of survivors, Albania takes pride in the bravery of its families, mostly Muslim, who sheltered and protected Jews, becoming a sanctuary and the only European country with more Jews after the war than before it,” Rama wrote.

Why is this important: Albania’s remarkable history of rejecting anti-Jewish laws and resisting Nazi demands for deportation is a source of national pride. During the rise of Nazism Albania, home to only a several hundred Jews at the time, opened its borders to thousands of Jewish refugees. By the war’s end, Albania had safeguarded over 2,200 Jews, as recorded in the Memorial Museum of the Holocaust since 2005. Unlike many countries in Europe, Albania had no anti-Jewish laws or concentration camps, and local families risked their lives to protect those fleeing persecution.

Context: The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 60/7 in 2005, designating January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to honor the more than six million victims of the Holocaust and mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where 1.1 million Jews were murdered. The resolution calls for member states to combat Holocaust denial and preserve the memory of its victims.

2025 marks 80 years since the Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz, making the day particularly relevant. In line with Albania’s historical legacy of supporting the Jewish people, Rama reiterated his government’s stance against antisemitism and his vision for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We stood then, and we stand now, against antisemitism and Islamophobia. We want Jews and Palestinians to live as neighbors in peace, in two sovereign states, with no terror tunnels underground and no question of Israel’s right to exist. To the Jewish people, we say today: Albania will always be your home. Come, visit, invest, and let us build a shared future rooted in hope and unity,” Rama declared.