,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #cc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #ae1 #bjac ,mr4 ,rohrabacher 7for himself and ,mr4 ,nadler7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,commending the ,albanian people on the #ajjth anniversary of the declaration of their independence from the ,turkish ,ottoman ,empire on ,november #bh1 #aiab1 and commending ,albanians in ,albania and ,kosova for protecting and saving the lives of all ,jews who either lived in ,albania or sought asylum there during the ,holocaust4 ,whereas in #aicd1 ,united ,states ,ambassador to ,albania1 ,herman ,bernstein1 wrote that1 ,there is no trace of any discrimination against ,jews in ,albania1 because ,albania happens to be one of the rare lands in ,europe today where religious prejudice and hate do not exist1 even though ,albanians themselves are divided into three faiths2 ,whereas in #aich1 approximately #cjj ,albanian ,jews lived in the ,republic of ,albania1 and more than #a1ijj escaped to ,albania from ,nazi-occupied ,western ,europe and the former ,yugoslavia during ,world ,war ,,ii2 ,whereas ,albanians in ,albania and ,kosova1 based on their unique history of religious tolerance1 considered it a matter of national pride and tradition to help ,jews during the ,holocaust1 and due to the actions of many individual ,albanians1 the entire native and refugee ,jewish community in ,albania during ,world ,war ,,ii survived the ,holocaust2 ,whereas ,albanians sheltered and protected ,jews in ,albania and in ,kosova1 even at the risk of ,albanian lives1 beginning with the invasion and occupation of ,albania by ,mussolini's ,italian fascists in #aici2 ,whereas after ,nazi ,germany occupied ,albania in #aidc and the ,gestapo ordered ,jewish refugees in the ,albanian capital of ,tirana to register1 ,albanian leaders refused to provide a list of ,jews living in ,albania1 and ,albanian clerks issued false identity papers to protect all ,jews in the country2 ,whereas in ,june #aiij1 ,jewish ,american ,congressman ,tom ,lantos and former ,albanian ,american ,congressman ,joe ,dio,guardi were the first ,united ,states officials to enter ,albania in #ej years and received from then ,communist ,party leader and ,albanian ,president ,ramiz ,alia a thick file from the government's archives containing hundreds of news clippings and personal letters sent by ,jews to their ,albanian rescuers after ,world ,war ,,ii1 but that the ,communist government prevented from being delivered for #de years2 ,whereas ,joe ,dio,guardi1 upon returning to the ,united ,states in ,june #aiij1 sent the file to ,elli ,streit in ,tel ,aviv1 ,israel1 for delivery to appropriate officials at ,yad ,vashem in ,jerusalem for authentication2 ,whereas ,josef ,jakoel and his eldest daughter1 ,felicita1 ,albanian ,jews1 led the emigration of nearly all ,albanian ,jews to ,israel in #aiia as the ,communist regime was collapsing2 ,whereas ,yad ,vashem 7the ,holocaust ,martyrs' and ,heroes' ,remembrance ,museum7 has thus far designated #fi ,albanians as ,righteous ,persons and ,albania as one of the ,righteous among the ,nations2 ,whereas in ,february #aiie1 ,congressmen ,tom ,lantos1 ,benjamin ,gilman1 and ,jerrold ,nadler and former ,congressman ,joe ,dio,guardi spoke at a ceremony at the ,united ,states ,holocaust ,memorial ,museum in ,washington1 ,,dc1 commemorating the addition of ,albania to the museum's ,righteous among the ,nations installation2 ,whereas based on the information authenticated by ,yad ,vashem1 ,jewish ,american author and philanthropist ,harvey ,sarner published ,rescue in ,albania in #aiig1 to call international attention to the unique role of the ,albanian people in saving ,jews from the ,nazi ,holocaust2 ,whereas in ,october #aiig1 the ,albanian ,american ,civic ,league and ,foundation began the distribution of #aj1jjj copies of ,rescue in ,albania with forewords by ,congressmen ,lantos and ,gilman to bring to the attention of the ,jewish people and their leaders the plight of ,albanians in ,kosova living under a brutal occupation at the hands of ,serbian dictator ,slobodan ,milosevic1 in order to forestall another genocide in ,kosova2 ,whereas in a statement at the #bjje ,albanian ,american ,civic ,league and ,foundation's ,salute to ,albanian ,tolerance1 ,resistance1 and ,hope3 ,remembering ,besa and the ,holocaust1 on the occasion of the #fjth anniversary of the liberation of the ,nazi death camps1 ,dr4 ,mordechai ,paldiel1 then ,director for the ,righteous at ,yad ,vashem1 commemorated the heroism of ,albanians as the only ones among rescuers in other countries who not only went out of their way to save ,jews1 but vied and competed with each other for the privilege of being a rescuer1 thanks to besa1 the code of honor that requires an ,albanian to save the life of anyone seeking refuge1 even if it means sacrificing one's own life2 ,whereas in #bjjf1 ,shirley ,cloyes ,dio,guardi1 ,balkan ,affairs ,adviser to the ,civic ,league and ,executive ,director of the ,albanian ,american ,foundation1 published ,jewish ,survival in ,albania the ,ethics of ,besa in the journal of the ,american ,jewish ,congress to document the saving role of ,albanians and how that role was revealed1 in spite of the ,communist effort to suppress it2 ,whereas1 on ,december #b1 #bjjh1 ,arslan ,rezniqi was the first ,kosovar ,albanian recognized by ,yad ,vashem's ,righteous among ,nations ,department1 for leading #djj ,jewish families from ,decan1 ,kosova1 into safety in ,albania1 and his son1 ,mustafa ,rezniqi1 who aided him as a teenager during ,world ,war ,,ii1 accepted the award from ,yad ,vashem for him1 posthumously2 ,whereas ,arif ,alickaj1 the ,secretary of the ,municipality of ,decan1 risked his job and his life helping the ,rezniqis rescue ,jews in ,nazi-occupied ,kosova by issuing false identity papers to insure their safe passage to ,albania and for whom 7like so many other ,albanians from ,kosova and ,albania71 ,jewish survivors could not be found to validate his role1 even posthumously1 because of the ,communist cover-up for #de years of the archives documenting the many stories of ,albanian heroism2 ,whereas ,shirley ,cloyes ,dio,guardi addressed the #bjaj ,international ,oral ,history ,association ,conference in ,prague1 ,czech ,republic1 and brought ,leka ,rezniqi1 the grandson of ,mustafa ,rezniqi 7who died in ,may #bjjh71 to join her in revealing the underground railroad between ,albanians in ,kosova and ,albania that was essential to the rescue of ,jews2 and ,whereas ,albania is the only country in ,europe that had more ,jews in it after ,world ,war ,,ii than before it3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 commends the people of ,albania and ,kosova for protecting and saving the lives of all ,jews who either lived in ,albania or sought asylum there during the ,holocaust2 7#b7 commends ,yad ,vashem in ,israel for recognizing ,albanians who took action at great risk to themselves to protect ,jews during the ,holocaust1 for their humanity1 courage1 and heroism2 7#c7 reaffirms on the #ajjth anniversary of ,albania's declaration of independence in #aiab1 its support for close ties between the ,united ,states and ,albania and between the ,united ,states and ,kosova1 which declared its independence in #bjjh2 and 7#d7 commends the officers1 board of directors1 and members of the ,albanian ,american ,civic ,league and ,albanian ,american ,foundation for their unstinting work1 since #aihi1 to bring the plight of the ,albanian people and the unique historic connection between ,albanians and ,jews to international attention4