Refik Veseli grew up in the Albanian mountain village of Kruja. In 1943 he and his brother Hamid moved to the capital, Tirana, where Refik began an apprenticeship with the photographer Neshad Prizerini. In September 1943 the Serbian Jew Moshe Mandil also started work in the photography studio. Refik and Moshe became friends.
In November 1943 the German occupiers began searching for Jews living in Tirana. Refik Veseli offered to hide Moshe Mandil, his wife Gabriela, and their two children Gavra and Irena in his parents’ home. They remained there until the village was liberated in October 1944. The adults spent all day in the house and only went outside at night, while Gavra and Irena mingled with the local children. In 1945 the Mandils returned to Serbia. Moshe Mandil set up a photo studio in Novi Sad, where Refik Veseli completed his training. Refik Veseli maintained contact to the Mandil family, including after they emigrated to Israel in 1948. In 1987 Refik Veseli and his parents Vesel and Fatima were the first Albanians to be honored by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.