 |
| Robert Singer (left) and Ramush Haradinaj |
Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said that Kosovo helped the Jews in the toughest times, and that this was the right thing to do.
Haradinaj made these statements during a meeting with the President of the World Jewry Congress, Robert Singer, whom thanked him for his support to Kosovo."It is a good feeling that the Albanians in those circumstances that were not easy have been put under the protection of the Jews. As Kosovo, we feel good that based on these values we meet the world by respecting people's lives in the most difficult times. Albanians sheltered and protected Jews because it was the right thing to do," said Prime Minister Haradinaj.
Haradinaj and Singer made homage at the obelisk in the honor of Holocaust victims.
"Kosovo is a model of coexistence and the Jewish community is an integral part of it. In the framework of the meeting, I informed him about the allocation of the building to the Jewish Heritage Museum in Prizren, which will serve to preserve the historical memory and friendship between our two peoples," Haradinaj said. The President of the World Jewish Congress, Singer, stayed on Tuesday in Kosovo, where he met with other institutional leaders in Kosovo.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, said during the meeting with Singer that they discussed the process of dialogue with Serbia and special reports with the Jewish Diaspora. After the German invasion of Kosovo and other Albanian inhabited areas, in September 1943, the persecution of the Jews had started. But, however, according to the Jewish Community of Kosovo, the number of Jews in Kosovo and other Albanian areas during the Second World War had increased. The rescue of Jews by Albanians, according to the representative of this community Votim Demiri, has created a common memory for the historical events of the two peoples. According to him, before World War II, around 480 Jews lived in Kosovo, while their largest community was in Pristina, where there were schools of this community, the Municipal Assembly of Jews and others. After World War II, the largest number of Jews went to Israel, mainly due to economic reasons and family ties. Kosovo marks the 70th anniversary of Israel's independence Currently, today there are 56 Jews remaining in Kosovo in 18 families living in Prizren. In the last 17 years, 3 families have been displaced to Israel. The Jews of Kosovo will soon have their synagogue in the city of Prizren.