People are his passion. It was Norman H. Gershman’s Wall Street headhunting skills (he founded Consultants Period, Ltd..) that gave him the patience to track down an almost unknown story in a country cut off from the rest of the world for 50 years. But it was his passion for people that led him to the quest to find and document the stories of the Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust. He used Yad Vashem’s archives as his reference and traveled to Albania and Kosova with Stuart Huck, a photographer based in Aspen, Colorado. Over a period of six years, they searched for, met and photographed Albanian rescuers or their descendants. In his interviews, he always asked them why they had rescued Jews. Their response was besa, the code of honour deeply rooted in Albanian culture and incorporated in the faith of Albanian Muslims, who believe that every man is his brother’s keeper. It exemplifies what is possible when humans act at their highest potential. Mr. Gershman, at age 44, studied with some of the greatest portrait photographers of our time — Ansel Adams, Roman Vishniac, and Cornell Capa of the International Centre of Photography (to whom this book is dedicated). Even today, at age 78, Mr. Gershman continues to collect and deal in fine art photography. Travelling and documenting unique human conditions and stories is nothing new to him. His first project, commissioned in the 1980s by singer-songwriter John Denver, was to photograph concerts in the Soviet Union. When he was researching his book, every story he heard from Albanian Muslims included a different description of how besa influenced their lives and actions. The mayor of Tirana told the Nazis: “We don’t know any Jews, we only know Albanians.” They gave the Jews documentation with Muslim names and opened their homes to them. People fought for the privilege of saving a Jew, not killing one. Albania’s King Zog personally issued more than 400 visas. Among the people he rescued were 13-year-old Fritzi Weitzman and her family of 11, from Vienna. He helped them to re-establish the family’s photography business in Albania, and rescued one of their relatives from a concentration camp. Years later, King Zog, in exile, found out that the Ostereichers, Austrian court jewelers whom he had rescued, were alive but destitute in England. He promptly returned the crown jewels he had commissioned from them, to give this family an opportunity to rebuild their lives. “There was no government conspiracy, no underground railroad, no organized resistance — only individual Albanians acting to save lives,” says Mr. Gershman. “My portraits and their stories are meant to reflect their humanity, their dignity, their religious and moral convictions, and their quiet courage.” The book is a tribute to the courageous people whose remarkable, humble actions resulted in 10 times more Jews living in Albania after the war. Many Jews passed through Albania including, as Prince Leka, King Zog’s grandson, reminded me, Albert Einstein. If you ask them, any Albanian would have done the same. They were simply keeping their promise. Albanians say: “If there is a knock on the door, take responsibility because every knock on the door is a blessing from God.” A guest’s safety and honour become the responsibility of the extended family. To allow harm or insult is the deepest disgrace. A guest, protected by besa, is shielded by an invisible army. Mr. Gershman often heard these words: “To do good is to get good from God” and “Everybody knew; nobody told.” He called the portraits and profiles “bittersweet — so many more stories, so many more heroic people.” He continued: “I don’t know the end to this story. I only know that there are wonderful people in the world. I choose to look at (them) and honour them, as opposed to chronicling war. This is visceral in me, important to me and I hope it is important to the rest of the world to know that there are so many good people in the world, regardless of religion.” “I believe in the goodness of people.” Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews During WWII, by Norman H. Gershman, was published by Syracuse Press in 2008. It is available online www.amazon.ca, www.eyecontactfoundation.org and at bookstores.
People are his passion. It was Norman H. Gershman’s Wall Street headhunting skills (he founded Consultants Period, Ltd..) that gave him the patience to track down an almost unknown story in a country cut off from the rest of the world for 50 years. But it was his passion for people that led him to the quest to find and document the stories of the Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust. He used Yad Vashem’s archives as his reference and traveled to Albania and Kosova with Stuart Huck, a photographer based in Aspen, Colorado. Over a period of six years, they searched for, met and photographed Albanian rescuers or their descendants. In his interviews, he always asked them why they had rescued Jews. Their response was besa, the code of honour deeply rooted in Albanian culture and incorporated in the faith of Albanian Muslims, who believe that every man is his brother’s keeper. It exemplifies what is possible when humans act at their highest potential. Mr. Gershman, at age 44, studied with some of the greatest portrait photographers of our time — Ansel Adams, Roman Vishniac, and Cornell Capa of the International Centre of Photography (to whom this book is dedicated). Even today, at age 78, Mr. Gershman continues to collect and deal in fine art photography. Travelling and documenting unique human conditions and stories is nothing new to him. His first project, commissioned in the 1980s by singer-songwriter John Denver, was to photograph concerts in the Soviet Union. When he was researching his book, every story he heard from Albanian Muslims included a different description of how besa influenced their lives and actions. The mayor of Tirana told the Nazis: “We don’t know any Jews, we only know Albanians.” They gave the Jews documentation with Muslim names and opened their homes to them. People fought for the privilege of saving a Jew, not killing one. Albania’s King Zog personally issued more than 400 visas. Among the people he rescued were 13-year-old Fritzi Weitzman and her family of 11, from Vienna. He helped them to re-establish the family’s photography business in Albania, and rescued one of their relatives from a concentration camp. Years later, King Zog, in exile, found out that the Ostereichers, Austrian court jewelers whom he had rescued, were alive but destitute in England. He promptly returned the crown jewels he had commissioned from them, to give this family an opportunity to rebuild their lives. “There was no government conspiracy, no underground railroad, no organized resistance — only individual Albanians acting to save lives,” says Mr. Gershman. “My portraits and their stories are meant to reflect their humanity, their dignity, their religious and moral convictions, and their quiet courage.” The book is a tribute to the courageous people whose remarkable, humble actions resulted in 10 times more Jews living in Albania after the war. Many Jews passed through Albania including, as Prince Leka, King Zog’s grandson, reminded me, Albert Einstein. If you ask them, any Albanian would have done the same. They were simply keeping their promise. Albanians say: “If there is a knock on the door, take responsibility because every knock on the door is a blessing from God.” A guest’s safety and honour become the responsibility of the extended family. To allow harm or insult is the deepest disgrace. A guest, protected by besa, is shielded by an invisible army. Mr. Gershman often heard these words: “To do good is to get good from God” and “Everybody knew; nobody told.” He called the portraits and profiles “bittersweet — so many more stories, so many more heroic people.” He continued: “I don’t know the end to this story. I only know that there are wonderful people in the world. I choose to look at (them) and honour them, as opposed to chronicling war. This is visceral in me, important to me and I hope it is important to the rest of the world to know that there are so many good people in the world, regardless of religion.” “I believe in the goodness of people.” Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews During WWII, by Norman H. Gershman, was published by Syracuse Press in 2008. It is available online www.amazon.ca, www.eyecontactfoundation.org and at bookstores.
Full-Size Image | Main Gallery Page
