(5) Kadri Cakrani’s vision and execution is what made the good works of the people of Berat have such a high rate of success. If Commandant Cakrani wanted to turn over Jews to the Nazis, he could have. People in Berat probably still would have tried to shelter Jews, and they would have still been able to shelter some people it would seem; but they would not have had the rate of success they did under the leadership of Kadri Cakrani. As we say with CEOs, “Tone comes from the top.” The ethics and conduct of leaders ripples out and effects everyone in an organization/community. In this case, Cakrani brought his soldiers and the people of Berat together for a coordinated effort as the Nazis ravaged Central Europe. Because Commandant Cakrani used his authority to shelter Jewish people from Nazis, the community was empowered to shelter Jewish people from the Nazis successfully. For Commandant Cakrani to tell enquiring Nazi officials over and over again that he had no list of Jews to give them displays strength of character and a blood-chilling courage.
At the Solomon Museum in Berat, the work of Professor Vrusho is on the walls, in his writings, and in his archives. The work of Professor Vrusho and the displays in the Solomon Museum teach us the following:
- Commandant Kadri Cakrani never turned over even one Jewish name to the Nazis in WWII.
- Commandant Kadri Cakrani told the Berat community when and where the Nazis were going to conduct searches for Jewish people. This allowed the Jews being sheltered, who were refugees from Central and Southern Europe, to move from one part of the city to another in order to stay undiscovered and safe.
- Commandant Kadri Cakrani sheltered Jewish people in his own home as well.
Now we see a beautiful, and critical, piece of missing WWII and Holocaust history coming into focus. With time, obstructions are removed, and perspective is gained. My grandfather trusted the people of the Berat community—both those who were sheltered and those who did the sheltering. He trusted them with his life, and they trusted him with theirs. He trusted them to remember and to tell each other and others, to keep the story alive of humanitarian work in the face of hatred. He trusted the country of Albania with his military correspondence, knowing that his democratic vision of Albania and the people of Albania would out-live the dark days of Hoxha’s cruel dictatorship. He trusted the goodness of people.
Albania has now returned to the light of democracy, with a bright future ahead. People can safely talk about the brave acts of Berat and Albania during the Holocaust.
Commandant Cakrani escaped from Albania in November 1944 with the assistance of British Intelligence, as Enver Hoxha sought to capture and kill him; Hoxha did capture and kill his uncle and brother. Cakrani became a political refugee in Italy and Syria. He was placed at the top of Hoxha’s enemies list, for opposing Hoxha and the rise of Communism. Although Cakrani was from one of the Founding Families of Albania (his father signed Albania’s 1912 Declaration of Independence from the Ottoman Empire), and he himself was a distinguished military hero and dutiful public servant, Hoxha perpetrated fabricated stories to discredit Cakrani’s reputation and legacy. Hoxha held a treason trial for Kadri Cakrani in Albania, for which Hoxha was unable to extradite Cakrani, despite having written the leaders of the Western World: President Truman, Prime Minister Churchill, and General Secretary Stalin.
The United States granted Kadri Cakrani political asylum. Cakrani worked with U.S. Intelligence for the rest of his life to bring democracy back to Albania. Family celebrations in Philadelphia toasted “Rrofte Shqiperia! Vitin tjeter ne Shqiperi!!” [“Long Live Albania! Next Year in Albania!!”]. In May 1972, Cakrani waited in Spain with a group of Albanian patriots to be parachuted into Albania as its new democratic government; the mission was called off by U.S. Intelligence. When Cakrani died, his death certificate listed “Stateless” as his citizenship, because he believed he would return to a democratic Albania.
The writer at the Solomon Museum in Berat, Albania with Mrs. Anjgelina Vrusho, Director of the Solomon Museum and the widow of Professor Simon Vrusho, in February 2020.