BBC in its series “War of my grandparents” which tells stories of World War II coming from their descendants who are known, takes place and the story of the Albanian Kadri Cakrani.
His granddaughter, American writer Elisabeth Vrato tells the story of the one who saved hundreds of Jews. She was only able to unravel last year the story of Cakran who acted as a true and brave humanist during the Holocaust in Europe.
The commander of the National Front in Berat rescued about 600 Jews while serving as a military officer in the Berat region during the Nazi occupation.
Earlier, Elisabeth had come to Albania to gather information, and discovered documents that showed that he had helped save the Jews by making a documentary about his life.
The story of Kadri Cakrani was published on Facebook of the Department of Albanology “Hidai Bregu” at the University “DePaul” in Chicago.
Cakrani had the advantage of speaking German fluently because of his studies in Vienna and was able to cleverly cover the Jews who took refuge in Berat. Whenever it was learned that purges would be carried out by the Nazis he displaced the Jews taking great personal risk.
Cakrani later became a refugee himself after opposing communist dictator Enver Hoxha and aided by British Colonels David Smiley and Lt. Col. Billy McLean escaped to a refugee camp in Italy. He was granted political asylum by Romanian President Harry T and worked with US intelligence in an effort to restore democracy in Albania. Angry with him, Hoxha seized all of Cakran’s property.
Kadriu never spoke publicly against Hoxha or his work to shelter Jews so as not to endanger the lives of his comrades who remained behind the iron curtain of the Hoxha regime. His story remained untold for decades.
American writer Vrato says she first learned about her grandfather’s story through a Facebook post about the new Solomon Museum of Jewish History in Berat in 2020. She visited the museum shortly before the borders were closed due to the pandemic. Evidence, correspondence and photos related to her grandfather’s selfless actions collected by Professor Simon Vrusho can also be found online at KadriCakrani.org.
“I am very proud that this story can finally be told. “My grandfather shows us the good aspects of humanity and of Europe,” says Vrato.
