BESA: Muslims Who Saved Jews in WW II
"A must book for all time."
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By ordering BESA through our web site, you are helping to support our BESA project. Please order your copy using the link below.
Welcome
Our Executive Director, Norman H. Gershman: "During World War II, Albania was unique among all nations occupied by Nazi Germany as no Jews were handed over to the Nazi killing machine. There was no government conspiracy; no underground railroad; no organized resistance of any kind. Only individual Albanians, acting alone, to save the lives of people whose lives were in immediate danger. Whenever possible I have sought out the people who sheltered the Jews. Many, of course, have died, and in those cases I have photographed their spouses or their children. My portraits of these people, and their stories, are meant to reflect their humanity, their dignity, their religious and moral convictions, and their quiet courage.”
Baba Haxhi
BABA HAXHI DEDE RESHATBARDHI:
" We Bektashi see God everywhere, in everyone. God is in every pore and every cell, therefore all are God’s children. There cannot be infidels. There cannot be discrimination. If one sees a good face one is seeing the face of God. God is Beauty. Beauty is God. There is no God but God."
Norman H. Gershman:
“In 2003 I embarked upon a project to find and photograph Albanian Muslim families who had sheltered and saved Jews – both Albanian and refugees from neighboring countries – during World War II."
Thus began our first project:
BESA: Muslims Who Saved Jews in World War II
News and Events, Current and Upcoming
The BESA Project is unfolding throught the world. Exhibits ara running at multiple locations and many are planned for the near future. A beautiful and important book has just been published and a major film documnetary is in production. Please check out the exhibits and stories highlighted below.
Syracuse University Press Publishes "BESA"
The reviews have been superlative.
Recent Comments:
Dear Mr. Gershman: I have been a artist photographer for the past fifty years. Rarely have I been as impressed with photography as I was with your BESA images. I have seen your exhibit today and I was blown away. Your ability to capture the soul of the people youphotographed was amazing,. No less was the technical skill of your pictures. I just had to tell you how brilliant I thought your exhibit was., God bless you...Norman Levinson
Dear Norm,
I wanted to let you know that we are having a wonderful experience with outreach related to our upcoming exhibit of your Besa project. The Islamic community and the Albanian community are both looking forward to a new collaboration with the museum. It has been a wonderful tool for us to open a dialogue with communities in town who had not had very much, if any, interaction with the Holocaust Museum. So, thank you for that opportunity..Marci Regan Dallas, Holocaust Museum Houston
Norman Gershman Interviewed on Weekend Edition Sunday
Weekend Edition Sunday host, Liane Hansen, interviewed Norman Gershman on his book, "BESA, Muslims Who Saved Jews in World War II". Click here to listen to the interview.
The book is also the subject of an upcoming documentary, God's House a clip from which can be seen by clicking here.
Holocaust Museum Houston Exhibition July 16, 2009 - February 7, 2010
Sat, 04/25/2009 - 19:46 — sbkaufman
Holocaust Museum Houston presents the exhibition: Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews During the Holocaust, July 16, 2009 through February 7, 2010.
See the museum listing here and the official press release here.
Read more here from the Houston Arts Alliance.
American Gathering "Together"
American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust & Their Descendants publication "Together", previews the opening of the opening of the BESA exhibit at Holocaust Museum Houston. Click here to read the article.
Jewish Exponent
Robert Leiter, Literary Editor of Jewish Exponent, has a written a touching and insightful review of BESA, Muslims Who Saved Jews in WW II, "They Gave Them Their Word". Click here to read his insightful observations.
Washington Post Article
The "On Faith" section of the Washington Post receiently published on article entitled "The Faith Divide, When Muslims Saved Jews", by Eboo Patel. Click here to read this intersesting article.
Jewish Week Article
"Zooming in on Ritchous Muslims", an article focusing on Norman H. Gershman and his widlely exhibited and much honored BESA exhibition, was recently published in The Jewish Week,an independent community newspaper, recognized widely as the largest and most respected Jewish newspaper in America. Click here to read the article.