On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the digital youth organization RinOn and the Israeli Embassy in Tirana held an event honoring Albania’s role in protecting Jews during World War II.

Rejvi Dervishi, founder of RinOn, said it is a shared responsibility to remember the six million innocent victims whose lives were violently taken.

Young participants gathered at the Pyramid of Tirana, recalling how hundreds of Jews found safety in Albanian homes.

The event included members of the Israeli diplomatic corps, Iris Luarasi, chairwoman of the Committee on Human Rights and Public Media, and Lorenc Agalliu, director of Local State Archives.

Deputy Ambassador Gal Rudich noted that Albania stands out in history. Unlike much of Europe, Jews in Albania were protected from persecution. The Albanian people risked their own lives to save others.

Iris Luarasi highlighted that the Holocaust began with racist jokes, conspiracy theories, and discriminatory laws, accepted by some as normal. She warned: “Indifference always fuels such crimes.”

Earlier, the DPA presented photo and documentary exhibitions showing the joint efforts of the Albanian state, diplomats, and religious authorities to protect the Jewish community from antisemitic terror.

/a.c/