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| Johanna Newmann |
Johanna Neumann, the wife that survived the Holocaust sheltered and protected by the Albanians, who played an important role in recognizing and assessing Albania's contribution in saving Jews during World War II, died on Wednesday at the age of 86-years-old in Washington DC.
She was surrounded by her man David, her children and grandchildren.
In a statement by the Holocaust Museum in Washington, where Mrs Neumann worked is said that her extraordinary life was a testament to the victory of good for evil and that she touched the lives of thousands of people, confessing her life story to Inspire others for a better future.Johanna went to Albania with her family in 1939 where she survived the Nazi Holocaust, sheltering from several families, including Pilku family.
"The Pilku family was completely exposed for our sake. The Germans might have discovered that we were Jewish and they might have suffered. There can be no words to praise all those people who rescued Jews at any cost, including some people in the so-called puppet government, such as Mustafa Kruja, who was aware of this situation. All this was dictated by Kanun and Besa. People had given the word and the word given could not be returned. They said to themselves: if I tell you that I will hide and save you, and if I do not, I will be ashamed in front of myself, in front of my family and the whole village," she said in an interview to VOA on January, 2012.
At a ceremony in Washington in 2012, where the former Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha honored the event Johanna Neumann, she spoke of her gratitude.
"The more I learn and read about the crimes that happened, the more I feel the obligation to raise the Albanians to the pedestal because what they did was extraordinary. They lived with a high morale. They told the world that when people are in need, they need help. What each does is important. Every individual who has the courage to do something to help another human being gives a great contribution," Mrs Neumann said.
In 2014, she was honored with decoration by President Nishani.
Johanna Neumann was born into a family of merchants in Hamburg on December 2, 1930. Her family tried several times to get visas to come to the United States, but failed.
They went to Albania in 1939 where they stayed until they were liberated by the allies in 1945. They went to Italy and in 1946 she went to the United States with her mother. In 1947, her father joined the family in America. Mrs. Neumann lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington./Oculus News