“Your call for help came to me,” she says. “In our culture, that means I now have the obligation to assist you. It is a code of honor called Besa.” “Besa?” I repeat. Elida nods. “It is an Albanian concept that is derived in part from the Koran. It means that if someone comes to you in need, you must not turn them away. It is because of Besa that my grandmother and I have asked you here tonight. It is because of Besa that my grandmother and her friends and neighbors saved many Jews, at the risk of their own lives. And it is likely because of Besa that your grandmother was saved too, even if the
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