Open Letter to Dr. Anna Cohen

Dear Dr. Cohen,

Through this open letter, I address your recent statement on the program “Shqip” on Dritare TV, hosted by Rudina Xhunga, in which you declared: “In 1492, Vlora had 90% Jews and 10% Albanians.” This statement has triggered an unprecedented wave of digital anti-Semitism in Albania, with more than 10,000 negative comments directed at you, the State of Israel, and the longstanding Albanian-Israeli relations that have developed over centuries.

You are an internationally recognized figure in the field of dentistry, a respected Albanian Jew, a humanist, and someone who has made significant contributions to science and society. As a native of Vlora and Albania, where you were born and raised, you have never forgotten your homeland. You have consistently worked to enhance the image of Albanians and Albania in America and throughout the world. Your book, “The Flower of Vlora,” serves as a testament to this, in which you not only highlight the cherished values of Albanians—hospitality, faith, and the rescue of Jews during World War II—but also, through numerous testimonies and historical episodes, describe the elements, values, circumstances, and events that have shaped your identity. All these are commendable and represent an important contribution not only to Holocaust literature but also to our homeland, Albania, which stands as a remarkable example—a country that did not surrender a single Jew to the Nazis or the “blue-eyed death that came from Germany”.

However, your statement on the aforementioned program—whether the result of a momentary lapse or the sometimes unreliable nature of memory—is highly inaccurate and unsupported by contemporary historical documentation. You are not a historian, as you yourself acknowledge; therefore, allow me to clarify the facts and explain why your statement is profoundly incorrect and was made at an especially inopportune moment for the country. In 1492, the number of Sephardic Jews who left Spain during the Reconquista to settle in Albanian territories did not exceed 300–350 people, most of whom originated from cities such as Barcelona, Girona, Valencia, and others. The first Jewish colony to arrive in Albania, specifically in Vlora during this period, was known as “Kik Nirosh.” For verification, you may consult the Royal Archive of Aragon (El Archivo Real de Barcelona). Additional evidence comes from the Ottoman Defters (Osman Defterleri), which indicate that in 1506–1507 there were only 97 Jewish families (a total of 485 individuals) living in Vlora, and by 1519–1520 this number had reached 528 individuals, due in part to further Jewish migrations from Apulia, Naples, Sicily, Portugal, and Spain. This is corroborated by both Italian and Jewish sources. At best, and even at the peak of the Jewish presence in Vlora, Jews constituted only one-third of the population—not the 90% you claimed.

It is true that during the 16th century, Vlora was regarded as the “Jerusalem of the Mediterranean,” home to four distinct Jewish communities—Sephardic, Portuguese, Italian, and Romaniote—and four synagogues. Several prominent historical figures resided here, including the humanist rabbis R. Joseph Ibn Verga, R. David Ben Judah Messer Leon, and R. Moses Ben Jacob Albelda, as well as the son of the eminent Portuguese-Jewish rabbi R. Isaac Abravanel, who maintained a commercial branch in Vlora. These are well-established historical facts, widely recognized by the academic community.

Let us now address another sensitive matter that has emerged as a result of your statement. You may not be aware—being distant from the current Albanian socio-political reality—that your declaration has sparked a significant wave of anti-Semitism in a country otherwise among the least anti-Semitic in the world, such as Albania. This reaction stems not only from the ongoing economic and political crisis and public discontentment with the government—exemplified by the so-called “Flamingo Revolution”—but also from the influence of external Iranian, Turkish, and Arab actors who have propagated numerous conspiracy theories, including “Turning Albania into a New Israel,” “The National Betrayal of Selling Territories to Zionists,” and “The Submission of the Albanian Prime Minister to the Interests of the Jewish Lobby, Satisfying Their Every Demand.” Within this context, your incorrect statement has been misinterpreted by these obscure anti-Western groups, taken out of context, and reinterpreted to advance a new conspiratorial and anti-Semitic narrative—as though your declaration seeks to legitimize alleged five-century-long Jewish territorial claims to Albanian lands, drawing parallels with the issue of Palestine. This is evidenced by the unprecedented digital anti-Semitic backlash, with over 10,000 such comments generated by this “fabricated issue,” which remains highly sensitive in the public sphere.

Therefore, I respectfully urge you, in the name of the cherished Albanian-Jewish values you represent, to demonstrate public courage by acknowledging your lapse and clarifying this situation once and for all on national television. “Errare humanum est!” Publicly admitting your mistake enhances your stature as a public figure, rather than diminishing it.

Gam zu l’tova! (Talmud, Taanit, 21a)

With respect,

Melsen Kafilaj

(Specialist in Jewish History, Culture, and Civilizations, University of Heidelberg)