Legal Aspects of the Jewish Presence in Albania (Research Brief)
January 1, 2010
The fact that the number of Jews in Albania after the Holocaust was bigger than before is not widely known. The rescue of Jews in Albania was due to many factors, including the refusal of local government authorities to obey to Nazi requests.
Most importantly, it was the result of a particular institution in Albanian customary law – the besa or ndore – which triggers a special duty to protect someone in need, and which supersedes any other positive or customary legal rule or authority.
Download the pdf at the top of this page for the full brief.
Agron Alibali, of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, was a 2009-10 Short-Term Travel Grants fellow.
