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"Son of the Photographer" - A book about the Holocaust and Albanian hospitality

2023-02-22 21:49:30Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA MERO BAZE

 

"Son of the Photographer" - A book about the Holocaust and Albanian
Photo of the Mandil and Veseli family, taken from the book "Biri i Fotografit"

 

The English edition of the book "Son of the Photographer" brought back to memory the story of the Mandil family, which during the Holocaust was saved by the Veseli family in Albania.

Although the event takes place in one of the darkest periods in human history, the author of this book, Maya Klinger, has adapted this work for children.

In an interview for the Voice of America, the author says that the goal is for the new generations to learn from the past and for events like the Second World War to not be repeated in the future.

"Albanians extend their hand to all people who ask for help, as if they were part of their family, giving them the help they need. This includes clothes, food and a place to stay until the danger to them has passed. They should do this even if the person asking for help is a Christian or a Jew and not a Muslim like them."

This is how Gavra, the protagonist of the book "Son of the Photographer", describes the Albanians and the tradition of faith, a work based on the true story of the Jewish family Mandil, which during the Holocaust was saved by the Veseli family in Albania.

In an interview for the Voice of America, the author from Jerusalem who lives in the United States, Maya Klinger says that this work is an indication that even in the darkest periods of history, there is hope and people of good will.

"I think the most important part of the moral of this book is that some people don't see others as Jews, Christians or Muslims, but only as people who needed help. It is the story of those who helped without hesitation and without asking too many questions. That's what I want readers to take away from my book," says Ms. Klinger.

Members of the Veseli family secretly sheltered the four-member Mandil family from 1943 to 1944, when Albania was under German occupation.

Although years have passed, the descendants of these two families continue to maintain the ties between them.

This is not a rare story in Albania.

"Albania is the only country in Europe where after the end of the war the number of Jews was many times higher compared to the period before the war. If before the war there were 200 to 300 Jews in Albania, after the war there were almost 2 thousand Jews. People have gone there from the former Yugoslavia, Greece and other countries. This shows the hospitality of the Albanians who protected the Jews who were with them", says author Klinger.

75 Albanians are among the people honored by the State of Israel for saving Jews during the Holocaust, but the number of those who helped is believed to be higher.

Refik Veseli is the first Albanian to enter this list, in 1987.

Author Klinger says she has undertaken a mission to document inspiring stories like that of the Mandil and Veseli family through such works.

The role of this mission grows every year, she says, while the number of those who experienced the Holocaust dwindles.

"Because in a few years, none of them will be left alive to tell these stories themselves, but we must remember the past through such works. This is a goal I have set for myself," she says.

"Son of the Photographer" - A book about the Holocaust and Albanian
Illustrations by artist Noam Nadav, taken from the book "Son of the Photographer"

Author Klinger's book is adapted for children from the age of 9.

Ms. Klinger says this is the right way for younger generations to prepare for life.

"If we want our children to learn about subjects that are complicated, scary and not very attractive, such as the Second World War and the Holocaust, we need to expose them to these subjects gradually so that they are not afraid to investigate on this subject later in life. We cannot protect our children by not informing them about what happened in the past. They need to know what life was really like. They need to learn that even in the darkest times, people help people," she says.

Otherwise, history could repeat itself, says Ms. Klinger, citing the war in Ukraine as an example. She says that the situation in Europe is similar to the story of her book.

"People are leaving their homes. Children are leaving their homes in search of a safer place. European cities are being bombed. This is not the past, this is the present. We cannot protect our children from the present. As soon as they understand that there is evil, but also good, children will understand that they too can do a good deed, that they can be the difference even though they are now only children. They can become better citizens when they grow up," she says.

The book "Son of the Photographer" was originally written in Hebrew, while a few days ago its English version was presented to the public.

The book is expected to be translated into Albanian as well.


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