NEWS Noemi Di Segni Appointed as New President of Union of Italian Jewish Communities  

By Pagine Ebraiche staff
 
Noemi Di Segni, 47, is the new president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).
Di Segni was born in Jerusalem but has been living in Rome for a long time. She was appointed by the new Council formed by the representatives elected in the communities of Rome, Milan, Florence, Livorno and Trieste on June 19, and by the representatives designated by the boards of the rest of the 21 Italian communities all over the country.
 
The new president served as the member of the board in charge of the budget for the past four years. She succeeds former president Renzo Gattegna, who held the post for ten years. Di Segni was the head of the Bene Binah list, who received a significant amount of support in the ballots in Rome.
 
“It is important to stress the values that Italian Judaism holds and shares with the general society, and the way Italian Judaism is recognized and protected,” Di Segni told Pagine Ebraiche in a recent interview. “But our challenge is also within the community itself: the mutual respect and the ability to listen. We have to preserve what we are and continue to develop while respecting the unique cultural and religious features of every community and the emerging Jewish presence in Southern Italy. At the same time, we have to redefine our managing strategies and governance, to find better solutions to sustain our many needs.”
 
During the meeting Di Segni also expressed what the central challenges are for the UCEI and its constituents: the fight against intolerance, anti-Semitism, terrorism, the support of Israel, education and the needs of the young, the economic crisis, and of course, the need for coordination between communities.