The Promise Trailer
The Promise Sizzler
THE PROMISE
Muslims in Albania rescue Jews during the holocaust. Albanians never gave up one Jew to the Nazis.They kept their Besa which means they kept “the promise”.
Background
During the Holocaust, Albania was the only country in Europe that protected and sheltered its entire Jewish population, both native and foreign. Through the valiant efforts of Muslims and Christians, all of Albania’s Jews survived the Holocaust. After Hitler came to power, Jews from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and even Poland found refuge in Albania. The Albanian Embassy in Berlin issued visas to all Jews who requested them, when no country dared to do so – remember that Albert Einstein fled Germany in 1935 with Albanian papers. Thus began a remarkable rescue, both at the state level – on the orders of King Zog – who refused to give the German authorities his census lists; than at the level of its predominantly Muslim population who hid the Jewish community at the risk of its life. Only one family was deported. Albania therefore not only rescued 200 local Jews, but also 2,000 foreign Jewish refugees. Albania is thus the only country to have increased its Jewish population tenfold between 1939 and 1945. To date, 69 Albanians have been elevated to the rank of Righteous Among the Nations.
When an Albanian gives you his Besa, he or she stakes his honor to ensure someone else’s safety, protection and their life. An obligation that cannot be broken at any cost. One would rather see his son get killed than any harm come to a guest. This code goes way beyond “do unto others and you would them do unto you” and is more inclusive than any other similar moral code like the Hebrew Tzedakah. It goes back to the Bronze Age and supersedes any religion although all religions in Albania adopted this code. In fact, during the war, Albanians argued with each other about who got to protect the Jews. The competition usually ended up with some families providing shelter while other families who lost would just provide food for their Jewish guests. They didn’t discuss whether they would help Jews or not, discussions were only about the “How”. No one ever in any village or town told the Germans about their Jewish guests, so Jews were able to intermingle, feel safe and not have to hide. Albania was the only country that had more Jews at the end of the war than at the beginning. There were only 200 Jews in 1941 and yet 2,000 Jews in 1945.
SYNOPSIS - Plot Summary
The film portrays the linking of two true stories about the liberation of Jews and the Albanian people from Nazi occupation during WWII.
Moshe Mandil was a professional photographer who lived in Yugoslavia. When the Germans invaded in April 1941, Moshe, his wife and their two children make their way to Tirana, Albania. Once in Albania, Moshe found work in a photography studio where he meets Refik Veseli 17, who came from a devout Muslim family. Moshe acclimates to Albanian and Muslim customs while Refik learns the photography trade.
After the Germans occupy Albania in September 1943, Refik must hide the Mandil family in his parent’s villa in Kruja.
Second story: Jusef David Bivas and other Jewish college students flee Yugoslavia and join the Albanian partisans fighting the Nazis. After several successful sabotage missions Jusef is promoted to the rank of commander and sent to liberate Kruja by the partisan general.
Refik falls in love with Moshe’s daughter Irena, despite their religious-differences, and Refik now realizes he must save as many Jews as he can. Refik and other Albanians organize several donkey caravans that trek through the mountains in Albania to rescue Jewish families in Kosovo.
Meanwhile Albanians in Kruja are refusing to turn over Jews., even after the execution of senior Kruja residents. The Germans occupying Kruja are now getting frustrated and call for reinforcements to destroy the entire village.
Jusef finally arrives in Kruja and supports the people of Kruja including Refik and Moshe; and together they combine their efforts. to stop the Germans. After many small clashes between partisans and Germans, the film ends with a large battle where the partisans both Jew and Muslim defeat the Nazis on the streets of Kruja, but not without the loss of lives. Jusef is mortally wounded.
Partial Script - Jusef Bivas
INT. BELGRADE YUGOSLAVIA – COFFEEHOUSE – 1941 – NIGHT
JUSEF (JUSEF DAVID BIVAS) and ISAK (ZHAK EMANUEL RUBEN) are members of a jazz band playing American swing music. JUSEF, a Jewish man, 24 years old, sings and plays a clarinet. ISAK, a Jewish man, 23 years old, with glasses, plays a horn; while four other musicians, all Black or mixed race, are playing the base fiddle, piano, drums and a guitar. There is also a white female singer.
Young people are drinking coffee, sitting at tables having discussions while other young people are swing dancing.
The female singer is singing “It Don’t Mean a Thing If it Aint Got That Swing”. JUSEF accompanies her with a vocal in- between clarinet pieces.
When the song is over there is a discussion among the entertainers.
JUSEF
Hey man! You and your buddies layin’ down some serious vibes up here.
BLACK MUSICIAN 1
Yeah, we all tryin’ to mix it up a bit. Lots of jazz, blues, some Benny Goodman stuff. Hey, ya all know “Sing,Sing,Sing”?.
FEMALE SINGER
Do I? That’s one of my favorite.
JUSEF
Let’s bring down the house!
The band plays “Sing,Sing,Sing”. The female singer is amazing. More young people get out to dance.
PATRON 1
Crazy! That sounds amazing!
JUSEF and ISAK leave to go home. They split up and each go to their parent’s home. They both live with their parents. JUSEF is an only child and ISAK has a younger sister.
EXT. STREETS OF BELGRADE – DAY
(ARCHIVAL) FOOTAGE – Germany invaded YUGOSLAVIA in 1941. Some 3,000 people, including Jews, were killed in the heavy bombing.
Sounds of air raid sirens, JUSEF’s whole family goes to the basement, the house is destroyed and his parents are killed in the blast.
Arriving, JUSEF cannot enter the burning building or what’s left of it.
NEIGHBOR
JUSEF! Get away from the building! It’s too dangerous!
JUSEF
But my parents are still inside!
NEIGHBOR
Nisht helfn! (There’s no help!) You must stay back! The Nazis are going to drop more bombs!
JUSEF
I can’t just leave them! Please, help me get them out!
NEIGHBOR
Dos iz gevezn! (That’s impossible!) The fire is too strong and the walls too weak. You must stay back!
JUSEF
I can’t just abandon them!
NEIGHBOR
It’s too late. The best we can do is pray for them.
JUSEF
But I—-!
NEIGHBOR
JUSEF, listen to me. We must accept the fate of your parents and protect the living.
Ambulances are hurrying the injured to hospitals and people are looking for their loved ones. ISAK goes to look for JUSEF and finds JUSEF walking the streets appearing to be in a daze.
ISAK
JUSEF! JUSEF, is that you?
JUSEF
(In a daze) ISAK?
ISAK
Yes, it’s me. Are you okay?
JUSEF
(cries) MY parents. My parents are gone. The Nazis…. They bombed the building….They Killed my parents… Everyone’s gone.
ISAK
Come JUSEF. Stay with us until we can figure things out. Come on, let’s get you out of here.
EXT. STREETS OF BELGRADE – DAY
(ARCHIVAL) FOOTAGE: BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA 1941. NAZI MARCHING INTO BELGRADE.
We see SS troops everywhere in BELGRADE; SS foot soldiers going in and out of stores, trucks carrying soldiers and officer staff cars riding through the streets.
INT. SECRET UNDERGROUND BASEMENT HEADQUARTERS – NIGHT
ISAK
What can I do to get my family out of BELGRADE?
UNDERGROUND LEADER
We can help you, but it will take some time. We have contacts in Romania, but your family won’t be able to travel without the proper documents.
ISAK
Is there anything you can do to speed things up?
UNDERGROUND LEADER
I’m afraid not. The documents will take a few days, and we will need to arrange for transportation. It won’t be easy, but we will do our best to get them for you as soon as possible.
JUSEF
We are grateful for your help.
EXT. BELGRADE STREETS – NIGHT
JUSEF and ISAK are on their way back from the meeting with the underground resistance leader, they see Nazi transport trucks and SS officers combing their neighborhood looking for JEWS.
HAUPTMANN BECKER
You filthy Jews. Get on the truck! Move quickly or you will be shot. Get on the truck now!
A Jewish women and her four year old child try to run away.
HAUPTMANN BECKER catches the Jewish woman, (ISAK’s neighbor), and her child. He glares at them in a manner showing his disgust with their actions. HAUPTMANN BECKER takes out his gun and shoots at the mother and child until the life is drained from both of their bodies, leaving them slumped against the side of the truck in a pool of blood.
He then stares at his soldiers.
HAUPTMANN BECKER (CONT’D)
Anyone else runs away, shoot a bullet to their head.
ISAK and JUSEF are one block from ISAK’S house. JUSEF sees Nazis entering ISAK’s house and putting ISAK’s family on a transport.
JUSEF
ISAK stay back, quick, come, hide in this garage.
ISAK
What’s happening? What’s going on?
JUSEF
A Nazi truck is taking your parents away.
JUSEF (CONT’D)
ISAK, hurry! We have to get away!
ISAK
But my parents! I just can’t do nothing!
ISAK tries to run towards his parent’s house and the truck. JUSEF grabs him.
ISAK (CONT’D)
(Crying) But they’re my parents!
Again ISAK tries to break free and run to his parents again. JUSEF restrains ISAK.
ISAK (CONT’D)
(Crying)But I can’t leave them. I won’t leave them!
JUSEF
You have to. We don’t stand a chance against those Nazi bastards. If you go there, we’ll both get shot.
JUSEF (CONT’D)
Your parents would want you to survive.
ISAK
I know we should get away, JUSEF, but where do we go?
JUSEF
We have to try, ISAK! Come on!
JUSEF and ISAK start to run away from the scene and they get a block away, but ISAK suddenly stops, his thoughts go back to saving his parents, and turns back towards the truck.
JUSEF (CONT’D)
ISAK, what are you doing? Get back here!
ISAK stops in his tracks. JUSEF is crying now.
JUSEF (CONT’D)
ISAK, please. We need to stick together. We’ll think of a way to save them later. Right now, we need to leave.
ISAK
Where can we go?
JUSEF
There’s an abandoned building up ahead. We can hide there!
In front of ISAK’ house, another Jewish man tries to run away from the transport truck and HAUPTMANN BECKER shoots the man in the back.
That night JUSEF and ISAK sneak back into ISAK’S house to collect a few personal items. JUSEF gathered some of his most important possessions, including his STAR OF DAVID necklace. JUSEF takes his clarinet apart and after dismantling the pieces he puts them into a small case.
They left in the middle of the night, making sure to keep to the shadows. They walked for hours, until finally they made it to the edge of the city where there are train tracks.
ISAK
We have to keep going. We can’t stay here, the Nazis are coming.
JUSEF
We’ll be okay. We just need to stay on these train tracks and keep out of sight.
They each grab a pipe off the ground and follow the railway tracks, trying to stay out of sight as they headed out of town.
They made their way to a remote train station, where they waited until a train was about to arrive. When they saw the train coming, they made their move. They quickly jumped onto the last train car and hid away in the corner of the car.
To their astonishment, in the same train car, are two other men.
JUSEF (CONT’D)
Who are you?
DARIO
Who are YOU?
ISAK
We are JEWS and I will smash your skull in if you give us any trouble!
DARIO
You don’t need to smash anyone’s skull in today my friend. We are Jews too.
DARIO (CONT’D)
I’m DARIO, this is JAKOV
ISAK
Sorry, my name is ISAK and this is JUSEF.
The four give each other knowing looks.
JUSEF
I just wish there was something we could do to fight back.
JAKOV puts his hand on JUSEF’S shoulder
JAKOV (JAKOV AVRAMOVIC)
We still have each other. We have to stick together.
DARIO
JAKOV and I are not going to hide like mice. We are going to fight back!
JAKOV
We can’t just sit here and wait for them to come and find us.
JUSEF
But we don’t have any weapons or training.
DARIO
We can find partisans that will train us, give us weapons, and teach us how to fight.
ISAK
Where you guys headed?
DARIO
We’re going to Albania. There’s a partisan group there that treats Jews as equal. There’s a partisan group here in YUGOSLAVIA, but we heard some bad things about how they treat Jews.
JAKOV
It’s our only chance. We can’t hide forever. At least in Albania, we’ll have a fighting chance.
JUSEF
I guess it seems like fighting is the only thing left to do.
DARIO
I want to kill as many Nazis as I can so justice can be served.
JAKOV
Just a few days ago, we lured some soldiers into an abandoned building and set it on fire. It was amazing.
JUSEF
You… you killed them?
DARIO
Not only did we kill the bastards, we made sure they suffered, just like they’ve made us suffer.
JAKOV
Once we get to Pristina, we have a contact there that will help us get to the Albanian VII Brigade. We hear they are an elite fighting group.
JUSEF
That’s far, but we’d like to go with. What do you think ISAK?
ISAK
I’m in! I could kill me some Nazis too.
DARIO
Not if I kill them all first, but you know what, maybe I’ll leave you a few.
They all laugh.
JAKOV
So, Hitler went to a fortune teller and asked her, On what day will I die? The fortune teller told Hitler that he would die on a Jewish holiday. Why are you so sure of that, demanded Hitler?
She replied, Any day you die will be a Jewish holiday.
They all laugh.
EXT. PARTISAN CAMP – SHKODER ALBANIA – NIGHT
A small group of MUSLIMS, dressed in traditional clothing, are gathered around a camp fire, laughing and talking about upcoming sabotage missions.
Four lone figures emerge from the shadows, garbed in tattered clothes and their faces are unshaven. They move slowly toward the group and stop a few feet away.
AGRON (ALBANIAN PARTISAN)
Halt! Who goes there? What brings you here?
JUSEF
(Softly) Shalom
(Louder) SALAAM!
The Muslims turn to look at the newcomers, their faces full of surprise. After a few moments of silence, one of the Muslims, AGRON steps forward.
AGRON (CONT’D)
What do you want here? Please, step closer to the fire, and tell us who you are and why you have come.
JUSEF
We are looking for a place to stay and fight the Nazis.
What is your name?
JUSEF
My name is JUSEF. This is ISAK, he’s DARIO and he’s JAKOV
The Muslims exchange glances before the first Muslim speaks again.
AGRON
So you are Jews?
Yes.
Hhhmmm. We welcome JEWS.
Thank you! We’ve come a long way.
SALI VERDHI the brigade general comes over from another campfire.
SALI VERDHI
We allow Jews to join from YUGOSLAVIA, GREECE, CROATIA and
from all over. We accept all those who are brave enough to fight.
We fight against the Nazi occupation using our brains. We are very careful not to lose any lives.
DARIO
We seek to avenge our families.
SALI VERDHI
Yes, we all want revenge, but it is more important that we use our heads and not always our hearts.
Staying alive is the best revenge.
Please let us join!
You need to give us more than your determination, fighting the Nazis requires discipline. One mistake can cause the loss of many lives.
We understand, we can take orders.
SALI VERDHI
Very well then my brothers! Welcome to the VII Brigade of the Albanian partisan army.
The Muslims cheer, congratulate, smile and offer their hands to the new members of their group.
SALI VERDHI (CONT’D)
Get something to eat and we’ll show you where you can sleep.
After eating dinner, several Albanians bring out musical instruments and start playing traditional Albanian music. FISNIK, an Albanian partisan, plays a Cifteli (two string banjo), BASKIM plays a Duval (two headed drum), and AGRON plays a flute. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXE3MFRrT5A)
JUSEF’s starts to sway to the music, his ears lock onto the beat, then he unpacks his clarinet and joins the group. He manages to find harmony and enjoys being with this foreign but creative team.
As the musical piece is finishing, JUSEF leads the group in playing a traditional Jewish Freilach, called the Klezmer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkvFtZzw1Vc) The Albanians give a wide smile as they pick up the new tune. The Albanian first tune morphs into this second tune.
Partisans and Jews are laughing and having fun.
EXT. HUT LIVING QUARTERS – NIGHT
Later, JUSEF, ISAK, JAKOV and DARIO arrange their bedding.
What do think ISAK? Should we stay?
There’s nowhere else to go, whatever you say JUSEF.
DARIO
Hey, they’ll probably give us rifles!
JAKOV
You’ll probably shoot yourself in the foot or me.
Funny JAKOV.
JUSEF
I have good feeling things will work out for us here.
SYNOPSIS - Partial Scenes Moshe Mandil
Scene: In Yugoslavia where Moshe Mandil and his family live, we see several scenes. We see the Nazis putting Jews on transports that would eventually go to concentration camps in Poland. We see children taken from the mothers and put on separate transports.
Scene: We see Moshe Mandil tell his daughter Rina to turn and walk the other way and never go home again. The Gestqapo are at our apartment and looking for us.
Scene: Moshe Mandil and his family escape to Pristina, Kosovo by a secret car ride.
Scene: The Mandils are found out as being Jewish by the Italian Army and are inprisoned.
Scene: Guards in Pristina, Kosovo let Moshe and his family escape to Tirana, Albania. Moshe hides his family in a dirty hotel.
Scene: Moshe walks into a photoshop looking for a job and sees his old friend and one of his former apprentices, Neshad Prizerini, a devout Muslim. Working in the photoshop is a young 17 year old boy, Refik Veseli. Refik takes an interest in Moshe.
Scene: German officers come into the shop to get their pictures taken. Moshe makes sure he stays under the black hood attached to the camera on a tripod so not to be seen. One German officer gets suspicious and walks over to Moshe and uncovers his head and face. The German soldier is satisfied and makes a joke, “Why hide your ugly face?” He insists they change places and that the Nazi officer takes Moshe’s picture. He’s satisfied, thanks Moshe, loses his suspicion, and then leaves.
Scene: After a year of working together, Refik realised the Mandils were in trouble. Increasing numbers of German troops were arriving in Albania, and the danger for the Jews living there was increasing. Refik suggested that the family move to his parents’ home in the mountains, where they could hide. He travelled home and had a meeting with his parents and siblings. They plan their first donkey caravan and move the Mandil family to Kruja using three donkeys. The journey took several nights, travelling over hazardous rocky terrain.
Scene: Refik’s younger brother Xhemal (pronounced Jeh-Mahl) brought another Jewish family who needed somewhere to hide – Ruzhica and Yosef Ben Yosef, and his sister Finica. Refik’s brother Hamid had Joseph Ben-Yosif working at his clothing shop. Hamid was inspired by Refik’s rescue of the Mandil’s and created a plan with his youngest brother Xhemal to smuggle Joseph, his wife, and children to safety at the Veseli family’s home in the mountains.Hiding two families was a big undertaking, but the Veseli family didn’t question their duty to do their best to offer protection.
Scene: Xhemal moves the Ben Yosef family to the Kruja by donkeys. On one trip a caravan reaches a German checkpoint with a wooden crossbar, German soldiers order the caravan to stop. The soldiers approach a Ruzhica dressed as a Muslim with a veil over her face. They order her to pull down her veil so they can check her face against her documents. She refuses and says, “As a Muslim woman, I am not allowed to show my face to a compete stranger”. She got away with this trick and the caravan proceeds unharmed.
Scene: Together they (Muslims and Jew) plan a series of trips to rescue of hundreds of Jews from Yugoslavia to Kosovo and then on to Tirana Albania. Once in Albania they run donkey caravans that transport dozens of Jewish families from Tirana to villages in the mountains of Albania like Kruja.
Scene: in Kruja, the father, Vesel Veseli and his wife Fatima set the table for a family dinner, both Veseli and Mandil families are at the dinner table. He quotes the Albanian proverb, “Our house is our quest’s house, then our house above all, it is a Besa: The Promise.” “Germans will have to kill my family before I would let them kill our Jewish guests.”
Scene: We see several other Albanian families cook for the Mandil and Ben Yosef families. The entire town participated in helping the Jews. Dozens of Albanians help the Mandil family and no one told the Nazis that others were hiding Jews. We see Mandils move around outside freely without fear. We see daily chores being conducted by Muslim and Jews, together they help each other feeling safe and comfortable.
Scene: Back in Kruja, Jews instructed their children to dress as Muslim villagers, allowing them to live openly in the village. They are taught by Muslim children how to follow Albanian and Muslim customs.
Scene: The Hoti family is the second family rescuing Jews. Hamid helps his neighbor Hasan Hoti help hide Jews. The Hoti’s property consists of a larger courtyard area with several attached villas. The Lazar family from Prestina came to live with Hoti’s family.
Scene: Rashela Lazar makes friends with Hoti’s daughter Cela. The Hoti daughter picks a new name for Rashela (Shpresa). She shows Shpresa how to wear Muslim clothes and teaches Shpresa how to pray using a prayer rug and when to listen for “the call to prayer” called the muezzin.
Scene: One day, Shpresa does not want to eat and Hoti’s wife says ,”Poor thing, can’t eat.” But the daughter explains, “Mom Shpresa is practicing Ramadan.” The woman looks surprised and smiles.
Scene: German vehicles enter the Hoti courtyard looking for Jews. A required list of family names posted on the front door as demanded by the Germans. They look to the list and find Shpresa’s name and other Jews (with Muslim names) on the list, they seemed satisfied but a bit suspicious. So, they still enter the Vila.
Shpresa and Cela look through cracks (plank separations) in the second floor down to German soldiers on the first floor of the house, the soldiers come looking for possible Jews. The girls come down with their Muslim prayer rugs and start praying in front of the German soldiers, the soldiers are amused, satisfied and leave, “OK No Jews here”
Scene: A German transport rolled up again on another day but this time they had ten prisoners and one of them in the truck, was one Jewish boy about 15 years old. Hasan Hoti saw the boy and decided to rescue him by giving him a note that was hidden inside a piece of melon. The note said run and had a map where to hide in the woods until Hasan could come get him. Hasan then invites the German soldiers into his Vila and gets them drunk. The boy then runs away. When the Germans uncovered this scheme, they brought Hasan into the village and lined him up against a wall to extract information about where the Jew was hiding. Four times they put a gun to his head. They came back and threatened to burn down the village, but Hasan didn’t confess. The Germans torture Hasan. He held out, and finally they left.