Congratulations to the Albanian Jewish community, and to all those who made this come to pass.

For the record, Iberian Jews emigrated to Ottoman Albania. Jews voluntarily moved to a Muslim empire and lived in peaceful co-existence for centuries until the rise of Orthodox Christian nationalism. Why is this not mentioned? I bet it has something to do with the Flotilla raid! Keep up the Spin.

establishing and strengthening centers of life outside israel - it seems there is no intention of making the jewish homeland integral to most jewish communities' future. life goes on i guess.

yes, they "lived in peaceful coexistence"...in gehttos called melas, in homes that wre dilapitated, in synagogues that wrre not allowe to be higher than a mosque, were bound to be at home when it rained because walking in the rain will polute the water the muslims also walked on, were not allowed to pray with a loud heard voice, were basic second class citizens, dhimis, that is. and every now and then, when the arab muslim regime and ruler wanted to deflect negative attention from himself and his despotic rule, he enticed pogroms whereby hundreds of jews were slaughtered on the streets. thinga have not changed even in 1940-1948. jews were hanged for being spies, were relegated to no ability to purchase property anywhere, were put in ghettos in filthy conditions, etc.. yes, when they were quiet dhimis and second class citizens they did indeed live "peacefully" iwih the backward barbarian muslims in every arab country....those muslims that kicked them out between 1948-1950 when israel was born, stole their entire treasures and belongings, stole their homes, their factories, their bank accounts, their businesses and kicked them out with the shirt on their back alone. israel accepted them all and gave them a new life. unlike the muslim rulers who interned the arab refugees in concentration camps of their own making, the refugee camps and indoctrinated them to hate. take your head from your behind, my friend. your stupidity and lack of knowledge is horrendous. only an ignorant idiot can post what you posted. how very uninformed you are. it is really scary. hameed aboughaze, iranian

Jews were completely oppressed in Iran. Jews in the Ottoman Empire did not prosper, but neither where they oppressed. Ottoman Jews did not like in squalor. If you are too ignorant to differentiate between Muslims, than that is your own bias. Islam, like any other religion, is about interpretation.

Your response could have been much more respectful. Respect me like a human being, and I will respect you. There were no Sephardic Jews in Southeastern Europe until the Ottoman era. Balkan Jews were oppressed and murdered after the Ottomans left. I respectfully invite you to refute my claim with facts. Or, will you just respond with another diatribe fitting of a typical Middle Eastern?

The Albanian Jews are a small but rich part of our national identity. Saving Jews from Nazis in WW2 was one of the most illustrious moments in our history. Albanian Muslims and Christians alike gave refugee not only to the Albanian Jews but also to other Jews coming from Germany, Austria and other countries. One of them, the Austrian Jew Robert Schwarz, became the most prominent translator of German literary works in Albanian. Unfortunately, not many Jews worldwide know these historical facts also because of our most isolated communist regime of 1944-1991. Strange enough, the Albanians themselves (including me) know little about the history of Jews in Albania because the communism suppressed the religious, ethnic and local identities in favor of an artificial romanticized communist Albanian national identity. Unfortunately also internet and bibliography resources are few or incomplete but I hope that the new Jewish center in Tirana will actively promote new and more comprehensive history and facts regarding Jews and Albania. I wish prosperity and happiness to the Jewish community in Albania and to rabbi Kaplan in his endeavors. Best Regards, Dorian Deltina Tirana, Albania

Only just now did I find out that Albania now has a Rabbi, what a wonderful event! My parents and I survived the entire war, 1939 to 1945 in Albania and were hidden in he home of an Albanian Moslim family. Our gratitute to the people of Albania is tremendous. I can even direct you to my book "Via Albania" which was translated into Albanian. The last Minyan which I attended was Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, 1945 in the home of Mr. Betano in Tirana. I hope many people will read my comments.