Myrta Abdulla ; Son: Shyqyri ; Sister-In-Law: Zije

Budo, Shyqyri Budo, Xhemile Meçe, Sulejman Meçe, Zenepe Myrto, Abdulla Myrto, Ije Kadiu, Besim Kadiu, Aishe Shyqyri Budo, who sold essential oils, lived with his wife Xhemile and children, Vera, Drita, Liri, Bujar in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Budo was a good friend of Haim Batino who lived in Durrës, on the west coast of Albania, with his wife, Eftiqia, and their three children, Jakov, Sandra, and Moise. In September 1943, after the German occupation of Albania, the Batinos moved to Tirana as they felt they would be less conspicuous in a big city. Budo visited the Batinos, and offered them shelter in his home in Tirana. The Batinos accepted this offer and the five-member Batino family as well as Haim’s brother, Menachem, his brother, David and his wife, Ester, moved to the Budos’ home. The Jews were given two rooms, at no cost. Despite the risks involved and the ever-present fear, Shyqyri, his four children, and in particular his wife, Xhemile, managed to make the Batinos feel at home. They lived under Budo’s roof for about three months and then, with the increased risk of discovery, it was decided that the family should look for shelter elsewhere. The adults – Menachem, David, Esther, Haim and Eftiqia – and 14-year-old Moise, were moved northwards to Krujë, a town in the mountains in northern Albania where they hid with Sulejman Meçe, a well-to-do farmer, his wife, Zenepe, and their children Ije and Ismail. Meçe gave the Batinos a room in their home and took care of all their needs. One day, Meçe discovered that a local resident was planning to inform on his wards. He thought of shooting this traitor but his family persuaded him not to. Instead, he spoke with the potential informer and threatened to avenge any actions he took that led to the Jews being caught. The man backed down from his intention. They stayed with the Meçes from November 1943 until the liberation of Albania on November 29, 1944. Meanwhile, in early February 1944, AbdullaMyrto a fabric merchant in Kavajë, south of Tirana, went to visit his friend Budo, where he noticed the two siblings, 18-year-old Jakov Batino and 16-year-old Sandra. He recognized them because he was a customer of the Batino family’s wholesale shop in Durrës. When he heard about their plight and the danger they were facing, he invited them to move to his home Kavajë. Thus, Jakov and Sandra arrived at the Myrtos’ home, where Abdulla and his wife, Ije, made them feel very welcome and provided them with everything they needed. However, Myrto’s home was located on the main road and was very conspicuous and consequently the risk of hiding Jews there was especially great. Besim Kadiu, a clerk at the Kavajë municipality and a friend and confidante of Myrto, offered to relocate the Jewish siblings to his home on the outskirts of the town, surrounded by fruit trees, far from the road. Kadiu, his wife, Aishe, and their children, Taip, Ismail, and Merushe welcomed Jakov and Sandra into their home and made them feel like members of the family. The Kadiu children were told that the presence of Jakov and Sandra in their home had to be kept a secret. Jakov and Sandra stayed with the Kadius until August 1944. Sandra and Merushe had developed a very deep friendship by then and it continued for many years thereafter. The members of the Batino family remained in touch with their rescuers for years after the war, even after some of them immigrated to Israel On June 3, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Shyqyri and Xhemile Budo, Sulejman and Zenepe Meçe, Abdulla and Ije Myrto and Besim and Aishe Kadiu as Righteous Among the Nations. File 5323