III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 521 

Commending the people of Albania on the 61st anniversary of the liberation 

of the Jews from the Nazi death camps, for protecting and saving 

the lives of all Jews who lived in Albania, or sought asylum there 

during the Holocaust. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 27, 2006 

Mr. SCHUMER (for himself and Mr. MCCAIN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Commending the people of Albania on the 61st anniversary 

of the liberation of the Jews from the Nazi death camps, 

for protecting and saving the lives of all Jews who lived 

in Albania, or sought asylum there during the Holocaust. 

Whereas at the start of World War II, approximately 200 

Jews lived in the Republic of Albania, and approximately 

1800 Jews escaped to Albania from Western Europe and 

the former Yugoslavia; 

Whereas in 1934, United States Ambassador to Albania Herman Bernstein wrote that, ‘‘There is no trace of any discrimination against Jews in Albania, because Albania 

happens to be one of the rare lands in Europe today 

where religious prejudice and hate do not exist, even 
2 

•SRES 521 IS 

though Albanians themselves are divided into three 

faiths.’’; 

Whereas based on their unique history of religious tolerance, 

Albanians sheltered and protected Jews, even at the risk 

of Albanian lives, beginning with the invasion and occupation of Albania by Mussolini’s Italian fascists in 1939; 

Whereas after Germany occupied Albania in 1943 and the 

Gestapo ordered Jewish refugees in the Albanian capital 

of Tirana to register, Albanian leaders refused to provide 

a list of Jews living in Albania, and Albanian clerks 

issued false identity papers to protect all Jews who traveled to and hid in Tirana; 

Whereas Albanians considered it a matter of national pride 

and tradition to help Jews during the Holocaust, and due 

to the actions of many individual Albanians, virtually the 

entire native and refugee Jewish community in Albania 

during World War II survived the Holocaust; 

Whereas Albania had more Jewish residents after World War 

II than before World War II; 

Whereas in June 1990, Jewish-American Congressman Tom 

Lantos and former Albanian-American Congressman Joe 

DioGuardi were the first United States officials to enter 

Albania in 50 years and received from the Communist 

Party leader and Albanian President Ramiz Alia a thick 

file from the Communist archives containing the records 

of the unpublicized heroic deeds of hundreds of Albanians 

who rescued Jews during World War II; 

Whereas Joe DioGuardi, upon returning to the United 

States, sent the file for authentication to Yad Vashem, 

the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Museum in Jerusalem, Israel; 
3 

•SRES 521 IS 

Whereas Yad Vashem has thus far designated 63 Albanians 

as ‘‘Righteous Persons’’ and Albania as one of the 

‘‘Righteous Among the Nations’’; 

Whereas in February 1995, Congressmen Tom Lantos, Benjamin Gilman, and Jerrold Nadler and former Congressman Joe DioGuardi spoke at a ceremony at the United 

States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, 

commemorating the addition of Albania to the museum’s 

‘‘Righteous Among the Nations’’ installation; 

Whereas based on the information authenticated by Yad 

Vashem, Jewish-American author and philanthropist 

Harvey Sarner published ‘‘Rescue in Albania’’ in 1997, 

to call international attention to the unique role of the 

Albanian people in saving Jews from the Nazi Holocaust; 

Whereas in October 1997, the Albanian American Civic 

League and Foundation began the distribution of 10,000 

copies of ‘‘Rescue in Albania’’ with forewords by Congressmen Lantos and Gilman to bring to the attention of 

the Jewish people and their leaders in particular the 

plight of Albanians living under Slobodan Milosevic in 

order to forestall another genocide; 

Whereas on May 15, 2005, Jews and Albanians gathered in 

New York City in a ‘‘Salute to Albanian Tolerance, Resistance, and Hope: Remembering Besa and the Holocaust’’ on the occasion for the 60th anniversary of the 

liberation of the Nazi death camps; and 

Whereas in a statement presented at the ceremony Dr. 

Mordechai Paldiel, Director of the Department for the 

Righteous at Yad Vashem, commemorated the heroism of 

Albanians as ‘‘the only ones among rescuers in other 

countries who not only went out of their way to save 
4 

•SRES 521 IS 

Jews, but vied and competed with each other for the 

privilege of being a rescuer, thanks to besa’’, the code of 

honor that requires Albanians to save the life of anyone 

seeking refuge, even if it means sacrificing his own life: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commends the people of Albania for pro3 tecting and saving the lives of all Jews, both native 

4 and refugee, living in Albania during the Holocaust; 

5 (2) commends Yad Vashem in Israel and en6 courages others to recognize Albanians who took ac7 tion to protect Jews during the Holocaust for their 

8 great courage and heroism; and 

9 (3) takes this occasion to reaffirm its support 

10 for close ties between the United States and Albania. 

Æ