The Albanian American Cultural Center (AACC) had the honor to participate in the opening reception of the the “BESA” exhibition and screening of the documentary “Besa” at the Dallas Holocaust Museum on 13 March. The Besa exhibition is a traveling exhibit from Yad Vashim Memorial and the Dallas Holocaust Museum (DMH) hosted it from March through June. The exhibition is composed of photos from the book “Besa: Muslims who saved Jews during WWII”. It tells the story of Albanians risking there lives to hide and protect Jews from Nazi’s during occupation. The author, Norman Greshman, photographed surviving Albanians and family decedents that risked everything to help Jews and compiled all the photos into the popular book “Besa”.
The AACC worked together with the DHM to help make the opening reception for the exhibition and documentary a memorable evening. Volunteers from the AACC brought food and wine for the event. We would like to recognize and thank the following individuals for donating the food and wine Mentor and Adrian Doko, Gjevat and Mergim Nerzraj and Doc Vranici. We would like to thank the DMH for bringing this special event to Dallas. Special thanks to Marry Pat Higgins, president of DHM and staff members Sara Abosch and Pam Barnes for their diligence and hard work. When nonprofits work together special events can become great. Thanks to DMH and AACC our community had an unforgettable evening that highlighted the important historical contribution of Albanians during WWII.