NEWS On the 9th of Av, a memorial prayer for the American Jewish soldiers buried in Nettuno

By Pagine Ebraiche staff

A group of Jewish worshipers visited the American military cemetery in Nettuno and recited a memorial prayer for the Jewish soldiers buried there.

For those who attend the synagogue in nearby Anzio, the ceremony has become a tradition following the afternoon service on the fast of the 9th of Av.

Thousands of young American soldiers who fell during the so-called Italian campaign in the Second World War are buried there.

A few years ago a group of those who attend service in Anzio discovered that among the deceased Jewish boys, one of them, Melton Mednick died on August 11 1943, the day after the 9th of Av of that year and they started the tradition.

This year, among the participants in the ceremony was also the vice-president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities Giulio Disegni.