History of the Jews in Italy. The Italians and the Holocaust: persecution, rescue and survival.

Presents: Claire Simmons

historian expert in Judaism

Curated by Maria Luisa Sylos Labini

One of the most extraordinary, but hitherto largely untold stories of World War II is the survival of 85% of Italian Jews. This statistic places Italy, with Denmark, at the top of the list of occupied nations for its percentage of Jewish survivors. We will examine this compelling story of how and why they survived with a rich historical analysis and a set of compelling personal stories. Our topics will include the following: 1- History of the Jews in Italy, 2- Factors that played a role in the successful rescue of the Jews in Italy, 3- Helpers, altruism and the "Righteous of Italy" (the non-Jews who saved the Jews), 4- The Vatican and the Jews.

To see the timeline of the history of Jews in Italy, consult the following link:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/timeline-of-jewish-history-in-italy

We offer you an article about an Italian village that saved more than 100 Jewish children during the holocaust under the guidance of a priest. Between the paragraphs are some compelling and moving short videos.

https://reportage.corriere.it/senza-categoria/2018/giorno-della-memoria-il-grande-cuore-di-nonantola-cosi-salvammo-gli-ebrei-di-villa-emma/

See also the attachment "The Jewish children of Villa Emma in Nonantola"

A few notes about our host: Claire Simmons

Claire Simmons is a renowned historian and educator with a great passion who wants to give future generations of Jews the strength to embrace their history and solidify their future. Daughter of Holocaust survivors, born to the generation that created the new Jewish state from the ashes of the conflict, Claire lived the first years of her life in Israel.

A graduate of Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University in New York, she founded the Jewish department at American University in Washington, DC, and helped found the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, one of the largest Jewish schools in the States. United, in which he served as head of the Jewish history department for more than 17 years. Claire has lectured and written on Jewish civilization, Jewish-American memory, the Holocaust and the unity of the Jewish people. Fluent in Yiddish and Hebrew, Claire Simmons is an acclaimed speaker and academic based in Washington, DC.