The speech of Minister Elva Margariti on the occasion of the presentation of the Albanian Jewish Museum project
May 17, 2022
When we decided to establish the Albanian Jewish Museum, we held many meetings with our partners of the Albanian American Foundation for Development, who are sharing this journey with us; we exchanged ideas, thoughts, we consulted with the Jewish community, we visited museums of this type, accompanied by the dilemma of how the heart of this new institution of memory, dialogue, history should beat…
While we were discussing the form and content of the Jewish MuseumI had the deep conviction that this Museum should tell its story, the stories of those thousands of Jews who found an open door not only in houses, but above all in the hearts of Albanians.
This museum should tell thestory of those thousands of Albanians who, like no one else in the world, proved that neither population nor poverty matters, if you have a big heart and filled with love for man.
The Jewish Museum willbe the human history of Albanians and Jews; it will be the story of a friendship, born hundreds of years ago, when synagogues were built along with churches and mosques; immortalized during World War II when the Albanians shared with those who fled the thresholds, their small houses, but filled with pure love; shared the only jacket; shared the holidays… the last name.. Just as in the centuries we have been taught to share with a friend: bread, salt and heart.
It would be unforgivable if we did not convey this deeply human story to our children not simply as an echo of a bygone era, as an unusual story; as the incredible challenge that a small country posed to a destructive superpower… but above all as one of the reasons to be proud of being Albanian.
This museumis the past, but also the present and the future. This museum is our parents, it is us, it is our children!
This is the concept of this museum between images, voices, testimonies, invitation to a dialogue between generations. This is the concept of a museum, which will be near the Street of the Jews, in Vlora, very close to the sea that in the course of time has connected the destinies of many people, regardless of nationality, in search of freedom, salvation, better life;
This museum will be there to shadow us like a sword of Damocles, reminding us that the past is very close if we do not learn from tragedies; will be there to remind us in the run of everyday life, that Albanians are these: Hosts to anyone who is in difficulty!
This is the concept that runs through the architectural lines of this museum, where the cultural heritage is combined through the building-cultural monument with the elegant intervention of the architects of the winning studio of the international competition: “Kimmel – Eshkolot Architects ”, that responded to our need to set up a spiritual museum. We have carefully considered everything: the additional elements in the architecture, the internal circulation, to describe the transition, as a process that has accompanied Jewish history in search of the promised land. Albania was probably not the promised land, but it was the land of salvation.
I believe that the fact that the studio comes from Israel is an added value and a more natural and direct approach to the story we have to tell.
All that remains for us is to start work on building this museum, which will be a magnet for visitors, who will travel to Vlora not just for the wonderful coast, but also for the Historical Center. another joint and transformative work with our partners of the Albanian-American Foundation for Development and then in the newest museum, which fills a missing piece in the puzzle of what is called the Albanian.
