Albania

From JudaismWiki

ALBANIA. Jews have been living in the northern region of Albania since Roman times. For many centuries, the region had been under Ottoman rule. Following the Spanish Inquisition of 1492, Jews fleeing eastward began to settle in seaports in Albania and to establish a Jewish community there. Exiled by the Turkish sultan in 1673, false messiah Sabbatai Zevi found refuge in Albania.

During World War II, under the German occupation, nearly 600 Jews from Albania were sent to their deaths in various concentration camps around Europe. Many Albanian citizens—muslims in particular, prizing their long tradition of welcoming strangers—hid approximately 2000-3000 Jews, including many fleeing Germany and other countries. They were later credited as Righteous of the Nations by Yad Vashem.

After World War II, under Albania’s communist dictatorship, the Jewish community was long isolated from the Jewish world, and all religion was strictly banned from the country. Following the fall of Communism, in 1991, nearly all the Jews of Albania were airlifted to Israel and settled predominately in Tel Aviv. One synagogue remains in Vloré, but it is no longer in use.