Flower of Vlora. Growing up Jewish in Communist Albania by Dr Anna Kohen

Flower of Vlora is a testament to the Albanian people and how during World War II not a single local Jew or Jewish refugee was harmed in Albania. Overtime the story of the Jewish plight in Albania has started to get lost. After WWII the communist Hoxha regime banned religious practices and alongside buried the heroism of the Albanian people.

Dr. Anna Kohen’s memoir aims to bring to light how the Albanian people protected and supported Jews while most of the world turned its back on them. The Albanian people have lived by an ethic of responsibility to humanity for hundreds of years and it is time the world knew this story.

The kindness offered to Jews during WWII was not down to religious motives, but is connected to the ancient Albanian notion of Besa. The notion of Besa is a sacred pledge to honor a promise to provide shelter and security, requiring any Albanian to open their door to anyone in genuine need. If this pledge to honor Besa cannot be met then that person will be condemned by society, the village, or town, losing respect and reputation. Thus, when the Jews had to flee their homes, they were offered complete kinship from every Albanian they encountered, every Albanian official who checked their papers, every Albanian who opened their home to them, and every Albanian who refused to abandon their guests, neighbours, and friends.

?Besa is a moral code, a norm of social behavior, a promise. Besa is an ancient protocol of the Albanian society, in which only the concept of a guest exists, and not that of the foreigner. The Albanians were not silent, they did not look away, they were not indifferent.

Dr. Kohen tells the tale of her family from poverty stricken and war-torn Albania and how a community helped one another to survive - no matter their beliefs. Spreading the knowledge of Besa and how living according to your principles of supporting whomever whenever and however you can, helps changing people’s lives forever.

Flower of Vlora traces the Kohen’s family history from 1938, when Anna’s grandparents emigrated to Albania, to the present day. In 1943, it became clear thar Albania was to be placed under Nazi rule. The pivotal moment for the Kohen family is when they had no choice but to journey into the mountains and hide with a Muslim family and had their first names changed into Muslim names. Everyone in the mountain village knew the “guests” were Jews, but no one gave away the family’s true identity.

My grandparents and parents lived quite comfortably and harmoniously with the villagers, who accepted them as their own. They didn’t have to hide in holes or walls or attics, or feel taken advantage of, or suffer degradations – or even worry that they were imposing on their gracious Muslim hosts. They were made to feel completely welcome.

The Albanian people refused to stand indifferent and instead choose to protect Jews in need. However, the story of the Jewish saviors could not be told right away because straight after the war Albania became a repressive communist country where any religious practice or belief was persecuted. Throughout Flower of Vlora, therefore, Dr. Kohen plays tribute to and honors the Albanian people without whom she would not have lived. The kindness of the Albanian people saved numerous lives and made other lives possible. Let it be made clear that

Albania was the only occupied nation in Europe where there were more Jews after the war than before. Virtually every Albanian Jew survived.

Flower of Vlora is an inspirational narrative with many layers that unfolds over three continents and covers more than 80 years. The book begins in 1938, just after the Kohen family moved to Albania, from there they journey into the mountains to avoid the clutches of the Germans, escape the oppressive communist regime, and, finally, settle in New York. It is in New York where Dr. Kohen establishes her dental practice having had to fight against gender discrimination to be recognised as a successful dentist. The odds where always stacked against her achieving her full potential, but it never stopped Anna Kohen from pursuing her dreams and principles. Dr. Kohen’s desire to help others, such as practising dentistry, leading the Albanian American Women’s Organisation, assisting refugees during the Kosovo War, and other non-profit work, is deeply influenced by her experience as an Albanian Jew. She wishes to offer hope to those who need it and reinforces that there are people in this world willing to sacrifice their lives in order to help others.

Although the author has never officially been an Albanian citizen, she fully embraced the principle of Besa. She has devoted her life to helping others in whatever way she can through activism and charitable work. Her memoir reminds us to act and not allow oppression, discrimination, and hate to continue to poison the world. The heroic acts of the Albanian people of all faiths have only begun to be recognised in recent years due to the hard work of surviving relatives of the Jews that were saved there during WWII and as we reach a time were there will be no more living survivors we must not forget this history. We must also be shown that even during dark times it is possible to not be indifferent but instead resist.

To act on behalf of any individual, or political, religious, or ethnic group that is being attacked and dehumanized… We the people have a commitment … to remember the victims who perished, respect the survivors still with us, and reaffirm humanity’s common aspiration for mutual understanding and justice. We should Never Forget.

Flower of Vlora. Growing up Jewish in Communist Albania by Dr Anna Kohen is available worldwide, and on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. getbook.at/VloraAK1

The Albanian version of Flower of Vlora will be published by the Albanian Institute for International Studies in November 2022