Soldiers remember the Holocaust

Photo By Ardian Nrecaj | Xhangyle Ilijazi, chief of the board for Kosova-Israel Friendship Association, talks to a group of Multinational Battle Group-East Soldiers about the history of Kosovo families during a Holocaust Remembrance luncheon at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, April 30.  

CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO

04.30.2015

Story by Ardian Nrecaj 

KFOR Regional Command East

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - The Holocaust is one of the darkest times of human history, and in that darkness there was a small light shining from a small region and community, an area in Europe occupied by Nazi forces.

Part of that community was Arsllan Rezniqi, who helped save and shelter 42 Jewish families in his home during World War II.

Leke Rezniqi, chief executive officer of Kosova-Israel Friendship Association “Dr. Haim Abravanel” and a successor of Arsllan, talked to a group of Multinational Battle Group-East Soldiers about his family history during a Holocaust Remembrance luncheon at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, April 30.

“My great grandfather [Arsllan] was one of the leading members of the Nazi resistance in Kosovo, and he devoted six years of his life to saving Jews,” said Rezniqi. “My grandfather Mustafa Rezniqi, an adolescent during the war, assisted him and he carried on the history of our family’s role in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust.”

Rezniqi said that as word spread about his family’s sanctuary, other families came asking for help.

“Soon more than 40 families from Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia were sheltered in our house, until my family was able to organize a safe passage for them to Albania,” added Rezniqi.

Rezniqi explained that shedding light into this part of the history of Kosovo Albanian families that sheltered and helped transport Jews safely to Albania is more complex than it might seem.

“One of the goals of our association is to identify the families that saved Jews during World War II, and so far we have identified 30 families,” said Rezniqi. “It is hard, because we are doing this 70 years later, but we continue to work with Yad Vashem.”

Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

Staff Sgt. Jason Sansom, an equal opportunity leader for Task Force Medical with MNBG-E, native of Cleveland, Ohio, organized the event.

“When people think of World War II they think of Nazi persecution in Europe, but they do not know what exactly happened here [Kosovo] and how families supported the Jewish migration through,” said Sansom.

“We are fortunate to have members of the association here sharing their personal and family experiences,” added Sansom. “They have direct ties with families who participated in the liberation of Jews through Albania, Kosovo and Balkans; it was great having them.”

Xhangyle Ilijazi, chief of the board for Kosova-Israel Friendship Association, said the main reason Kosovo Albanians sheltered Jewish families is “Besa” an Albanian cultural concept that means “to keep the promise” and “word of honor”.

Ilijazi explained that almost all the Jews that made it to Albania survived.

“Before World War II in Albania lived more than 200 Jews, but in the end of the war there were 2,000 Jews living in Albania, and this is official data from Albanian state archive,” said Ilijazi.

Mustafa Rezniqi, received a Righteous Among Nations award from Yad Vashem. The award is given to honor non-Jews who risked their lives, liberty or positions to save Jews during the Holocaust.

• Date Taken: 04.30.2015
• Date Posted: 04.30.2015 12:55
• Story ID: 161788
• Location: CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ
• Hometown: CLEVELAND, OH, US