NEWS Italian Carabinieri commit to work to return Jewish books stolen by the Nazis

By Pagine Ebraiche staff

The Jewish Community of Rome and the Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie of Italy signed last week an agreement aimed at finding and returning over seven thousand books which were stolen from the community by the Nazis.

The signature of the protocol was also marked by the restitution of 19 volumes uncovered with the cooperation of the General Directorate of the Archives of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage.

A Carabinieri group will be assigned to the task to carry out further research on the matter at national and international level.

The protocol was signed by the community president Ruth Dureghello and General Roberto Riccardi, the head of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Speaking at the ceremony were also the Chief Rabbi of Rome Riccardo Di Segni, the Carabinieri chief General Giovanni Nistri, the president of the Foundation for the Jewish Museum of Rome Alessandra Di Castro, and the head of the Directorate-General of the Archives of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage Anna Maria Buzzi.

Several directors of Jewish Museums in different communities and the director of the Uffizi Eike Schmidt, who has been at the front line to bring back to Italy the artistic heritage expropriated at the time of the Second World War also attended the event.