Veseli Vesel & Fatima ; Son: Refik

Veseli, Vesel Veseli, Fatima Veseli, Refik Veseli, Hamid Veseli, Xhemal In 1943, 25-year-old Hamid Veseli and his 17-year-old brother, Refik, arrived in Tirana from their native village of Krujë. Hamid opened a clothing shop and Refik started working as an apprentice in a photo studio. Refik’s mentor was a Jewish refugee from Belgrade, Moshe Mandil, who lived with his wife and two young children in a small apartment belonging to the studio owner in Tirana. Refik and Mandil became friends. In the fall of 1943, after Italy surrendered to the Allies, the Germans occupied Albania and the Jews began to look for places to hide. Refik asked his parents for permission to shelter Mandil and his family in their home in the village of Krujë. His father, Vesel Veseli, agreed immediately and even traveled to Tirana with some donkeys in order to bring Moshe Mandil, his wife Ela, and their children, seven-year-old Gavra and five-year-old Irena, back to his home. The journey took several days. During the days they hid in caves and forests and at night they would continue along their way until they arrived in Krujë. The Mandils were hidden in a small room above the stable and the children were allowed to mingle with children of the villagers. A few days later, 14-year-old Xhemal, one of the Veselis’ children, brought the three members of the Ben Joseph family to his parents’ home. Joseph Ben Joseph, his wife, Ruzhica and his sister, Finica, had found shelter with Hamid Veseli in Tirana. They joined the Mandils in the room above the stable. All seven refugees stayed in the Veselis’ home until the liberation. Throughout this time, the entire Veseli family, in particular Vesel and his wife, Fatima, ensured that their wards were safe and provided them with all their daily needs. After the liberation on November 29, 1944, the two Jewish families returned to Tirana and later moved back to Yugoslavia. The Mandils immigrated to Israel in 1948, and the Ben Josephs eventually moved to Brazil. Contact was maintained between Refik Veseli and Gavra Mandil, which later led to the establishment of an Albanian/Israeli friendship organization that located other Albanians who helped Jews during the war. On December 23, 1987, Yad Vashem recognized Vesel and Fatima Veseli and their son, Refik Veseli, as Righteous Among the Nations. On May 23, 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Hamid and Xhemal Veseli as Righteous Among the Nations. In 2014 a school in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin decided to name the school after Refik Veseli. It was the initiative of a group of students of the school, which has a very large immigrant population. The students had visited Yad Vashem, where they heard the story of the Veseli family and were inspired by Refik Vesli's courage and determination. The ceremony was held in October 2014, and was attended by Gavra Mandil's son and daughter.