page_title: Kavajë
section_title: WWII
hierarchical_section_title: Kavajë / History / WWII
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of 5 Jewish Families
context_page_description: Kavajë is a municipality centrally located in the Western Lowlands region of Albania. It borders Durrës to the north 17 km, Tiranë to the east 27 km and Rrogozhinë to the south 15 km. To the west lies the Adriatic Sea. Based on the 2011 Census, the municipality had a population of 40,094 inhabitants, although the Civil Registry inferred the total number of inhabitants to be 79,556. The overall surface area is 199.00 square kilometres.
context_section_description: At the start of World War II, approximately 600 Jews lived in the Republic of Albania. About 400 of them were German and Austrian refugees and the rest were from nearby countries like Yugoslavia and Greece. The largest number of these refugees, some 200 in total, were placed at a camp in Kavajë where they would later find shelter amongst the local population.
  The citizens of Kavajë gave an invaluable contribution in the housing and sheltering of Jewish refugees during the war. The names of Mihal Lekatari, Besim Kadiu and Shyqyri Myrto are placed on the list of the Righteous among the Nations honored by Yad Vashem.
caption: Jewish Families of Mandil, Azriel, Altarac, Ruchvarger and Borger in a group portrait. (Kavajë, 1 May 1942)
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