January 27 – day of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp – marks Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was established in the year 2000 with the purpose of remembering the Shoah, the racial laws, Italians who suffered deportation and those who opposed the extermination, at the risk of their own lives. A lot has been done and much remains to be done. An SWG survey shows that Italians consider the commemorations of January 27 important for 22% it no longer bears any significance (“it serves no purpose today”) while 1 on 6 says it is important for the Jewish community alone. Ruth Dureghello is the president of Rome’s Jewish Community. “These figures are of great concern – she immediately remarked -. “However, they help us reflect on how to improve, to a certain extent, the work done so far. I also believe – having visited many schools and met with large numbers of students – that great effort has been put in raising public awareness.”
And therefore….
In particular after the terror attacks in Paris, preceded by those in London and Madrid, it was acknowledged that this is a fundamental issue not only for the Jews.
In your opinion, why do Italians find it so hard to embrace the Jewish people?
To be honest I haven’t noticed such difficulties on their part, on the contrary. There are obviously hanging questions and open issues that need to be clarified once and for all, notably the question of the diversity of the Jewish people. Unfortunately, far too often Jews are perceived as “different” and considered equal to strangers. This idea stems from the cultural heritage linked to a certain fringe of our national political realm, coupled by the instrumental use of certain themes related to international affairs. But we follow the opposite direction, trying to make people understand that our diversity can be of cultural nature but never could it be a form of diversity in terms of values.
We reaffirm our spirit of national identity and belonging, which extends far beyond our daily lives
And it is engrained in the history of the major contributions of the Jewish People to Italy in the period of the Risorgimento, the First World War and the Resistance.
However, even wearing a Kippah has become dangerous today while in France some have proposed not wearing it for security reasons. Is the same fear of being Jewish felt also in Italy?
Since we are talking about memory, if I go back in time and think back to what happened 70 years ago I cannot fail to remember Christian King of Denmark who took the decision to wear a Jewish star to protect Jewish citizens and prevent their deportation.
Identity passes through symbols, all symbols need to be shared and worn with pride.
If we should reach the point of being overcome by fear, preventing us from being who we are, then we would be facing a problem. I hope – in fact I’m sure – that the problem is not as serious in Italy, but avoiding it requires everyone’s contribution.
These themes confer topical relevance to the memory of the Shoah. A lot has been done, but still much remains to be done if 1 in 6 Italians believe that Holocaust Remembrance Day is relevant only for the Jews?
Indeed, memory is a long process, it’s a slow and tiresome process that involves a set of concrete gestures and acts of coherence in terms of policies and decisions. But deferring or considering it useless, thereby letting indifference or indolence prevail would be much worse.
When Pope Francis remembered the Shoah survivors in the Synagogue he was met with a standing ovation… He paid homage – I apologize for interrupting – to the survivors whose commitment is praiseworthy and admirable in the way they communicate and share their experience. They are witnesses for future memory.
How important is the message of Pope Francis?
The Pope’s role is extremely important at a time when religions are called to play a fundamental role in everyday life and at a time of worrying signs on the part of those who kill in the name of God.
When a figure like the Pope who represents the highest expression of the Catholic world, pays tribute to the survivors, this is a fundamental act since it confers importance to the work that is being done to acknowledge what happened and must never happen again.
What are your requests to the Catholic world?
I am asking equal attention to the Catholic world, never ceasing to recall the Pope’s words when he firmly declares that there is no room for anti-Semitism, when he says that no Christian can be an anti-Semite, and when he invokes peace and security for Israel.
My request is to overcome the prejudice which unfortunately permeated the relations between the Jewish and the Catholic worlds for many centuries
A lot of effort is being put to overcome that prejudice, spoken of by Pope Francis in front of the whole world.
