FEATURES Massimo Teglio: a Geonese story
By Dan Amouyal*
Genoese Jewish history is a remarkable and unique part of Jewish history.
Genoa (or Genova, in Italian) is home to one of the oldest Italian Jewish communities. The first extent records of Genoese Jews are two letters by Theoderic the Great (454-526 C.E.), king of the Ostrogoths and ruler of Italy, which discuss grants for Jews and permission to rebuild their synagogue.
Yet, throughout the Middle Ages, Genoa was not a welcoming city for the Jews. It introduced many decrees and punishments against Jews in order to prevent their settlement. From prohibiting residence in the city for more than three days, to heavy taxation levied by the Church, and constant persecution. This discrimination stemmed from commercial jealousy of Jewish merchants at the important port of Genoa, and religious extremism which called for the expulsion of Genoese Jews. Famous friars, like Bernardino da Feltre, were among the notable figures to support and advocate this expulsion. Only certain physicians and merchants with Papal approval were allowed to live and work in the city, wearing the notorious yellow badge as identification.
Later, however, Genoa became a safe haven for Jews escaping the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions, though they were subject to periodic banishments. When the ghetto of Genoa was established in 1660, the city’s Jewish population numbered roughly 200. This population increased, especially during the 19th century when Genova became an important port for the Kingdom of Sardinia and then the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. At it’s height the city’s Jews numbered roughly 1,000. Today, the Jewish population of Genova is roughly 700.
Our story begins in 1943, WWII is at its peak, and all of Europe is at war. Jews in Italy have been persecuted since 1938, and their lives were now facing grave danger. Beginning with the German occupation of Italy in September 1943, Italy started to deport Jews to extermination camps especially to Auschwitz. This is the tragic context of the story of a Jewish pilot from Genoa named Massimo Teglio, who personally saved 70 Jews, and contributed to the rescue of around 30,000 Jews.
Massimo Teglio was an active member of the Italian resistance and a member of DELASEM (Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants), which was a Jewish resistance organization that operated from in 1939 to 1947, and was responsible for smuggling Jews out of Italy to Switzerland and Palestine. DELASEM worked with courageous members of the Catholic clergy and the Italian police forces to save many Jews. Their headquarters were in Genoa and they operated all over Italy raising funds to pay for shelter houses, false documents and smuggling Jews.
Teglio started by establishing laboratories with the help of typographers, to falsify documents and papers for Jews. He then moved on to planning escape routes into Switzerland, establishing contacts within the Swiss administration. Teglio would first contact Swiss officials from Bern, like Consul Giovanni Biaggi de Blasys who helped persecuted Jews from 1943-1945, to coordinate their arrival by alerting the Red Cross and the Swiss border guards. His Swiss collaborators would then prepare any necessary documents for the Jews to be declared as refugees. Teglio was clever enough to transport only 5 to 6 Jews per expedition by foot, crossing into Switzerland, so as not to alert the authorities. Teglio and the organization continued to work even after the surrender of the Germans, to transfer Jewish refugees to British Mandate Palestine.
The history of Genoese Jews encompasses terrible instances of persecution, banishment and death. Yet due to figures like Massimo Teglio, “The Hero of the Persecuted,” Genoese Jews have managed to persevere and maintain their culture. Although the current population of 700 Jews may seem small, it’s very existence is a result in no small part of Teglio’s courage, determination and action. His accomplishments inspired the film, Fuga per la libertà: L’aviatore (2008) in which Teglio is portrayed by the famous Italian actor, Sergio Castellitto. A fascinating and exhaustive interview of Massimo Teglio can be found HERE on the website of digital library of CDEC (Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea).
*Dan Amouyal is a student at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA).