ALBANIA’S JEWISH PRIDE
EVER SINCE I gazed across the sea at Albania from Corfu in the 1980s, I have wanted to visit the country. And 30 years after the end of its brutal communist regime, with the country opening up more and more to tourists, I finally managed to fulfil that wish on an eight-day tour.
As well as a long history dating back to the 6th century BCE, there’s also some fascinating Jewish heritage to discover as you explore, along with the remarkable archaeological sites of Butrint, Bylis and Apollonia.
Between the mountains, rivers, forests and beautiful beaches of the Riviera, there are Roman temples to discover, built at a time when the first Jews arrived in the country, as well as the fortresses, citadels and mosques of the Ottomans, who ruled Albania for 400 years. By this point, there were Jewish communities in most major cities, with many settling here after being expelled from Spain.
During the Italian and German occupations of the Second World War, Albania refused to comply with the demand to provide lists of names of all Jewish citizens. Instead, they were protected, with Albania also providing a safe haven for the many Jewish refugees who fled here. By the end of the war, the Jewish community had increased from several hundred to over 2,000 people.
The story is told in detail at the Solomon Museum in Berat, opened by Simon Vrusho, a local professor and Orthodox Christian, in 2018. Created to house his collection of hundreds of documents, photographs and artefacts retracing two millennia of Jewish history in Albania, it also recounts how Muslim and Christian Albanians sheltered hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.
Funded at first by small donations left at the door and Simon Vrusho’s own pension, French-Albanian businessman Gazmend Toska decided to continue financing the museum after his death, moved it to a larger site in 2019. Arriving in Berat after the museum had closed, following a phone call to the museum and some help from our hotel manager, who knew the museum’s curator Angelina, widow of Simon Vrusho, we were given an afterhours look.
While she did not speak English herself, with the help of English descriptions next to the photographs, she managed to convey the story behind the photographs, documents and artefacts which tell the stories of more than 60 Muslim and Christian families who hid Jewish people in their homes and basements during the war. It is a remarkable museum and a moving testament to the remarkable acts of bravery of the Albanian people, with 75 citizens recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.
To find some of the earliest evident of Albania’s Jewish heritage, head to Saranda. This coastal city is still home to the remnants of a synagogue dating from the 5th or 6th century CE, originally discovered when Albania was under Communist rule, and partially excavated 20 years ago.
A joint excavation between Israel and Albania has uncovered two mosaic pavements, one featuring a seven-branched menorah flanked by an etrog and a shofar and another showing animals, trees and the facade of a structure resembling a temple — although all are hidden away from public view under a protective tarpaulin.
Today, only a small number of Jews remain, mostly in the capital Tirana, with the majority being airlifted to Israel after the fall of Communism in 1991. But with its examples of tolerance, long Jewish heritage and its own fascinating history, it’s time to discover Albania for yourself.
Rates: The eight-night Jules Verne Classical Tour of Albania costs from £925 including flights. vyv.com