Remembering the Ardeatine Caves massacre
through the victims’ names and stories

Three hundred and fifty-five victims. The challenge, related to each of them, to tell their story, hope and dreams shattered by barbarism. Memory as a pillar and life-giving element of a society. A theme that has always been dear to the President Sergio Mattarella and was the cornerstone of the visit to the Ardeatine Caves which on March 24th marked the 77th anniversary of the massacre, accompanied by the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities President Noemi Di Segni and the National Association of Italian Martyrs’ Families President Francesco Albertelli.
For the first time, in the name of Marian Reicher and Heinz Eric Tuchman, the two fallen who have recently been given an identity and which the Quirinale, gave particular importance to in the official communication following the visit. The intention is that of organizing a moment dedicated to them in the future, hopefully in the presence of the relatives.
“Every year we celebrated Yom HaShoah, on this date I have always lighted the ner neshamah, the commemorative candle for my father. Why on this date? Because I do not know when my father died. Now I know, and everything will be different. It is important to have this new awareness” David Reicher, the son of Marian, had told Pagine Ebraiche, a few days after the recognition.
Names and pieces are however coming together, thanks to a a research that continues also on a biographic level. This is the spirit of “Le Fosse Ardeatine: dodici storie” (Ardeatine caves: twelve stories) a volume recently published by Gangemi, which is the result of a collaboration between the Department of Culture of Jewish community of Rome and the ANFIM. The anniversary was the occasion of an online presentation of the work, which has the preface of the Senator for life Liliana Segre and was edited by Claudio Procaccia.
“This book – affirmed Ruth Dureghello, president of the Jewish Community – is the first step of a significant journey to restore dignity to the memory of the martyrs of that massacre. A massacre that is a symbol of physical resistance, value, identity and tradition for the whole Italy”. Silvia Haia Antonucci, Martino Contu, Georges de Canino, Sira Fatucci, Rina Menasci, Amedeo Osti Guerrazzi e Marta Ravenna Lattes contributed to the volume. In addition to the authors, ANFIM President Albertelli and Paolo de Nardis, President of the institute of Political Studies S. Pius V also spoke.
The evening was moderated by Massimo Finzi, community Councillor for Memory, who also announced a forthcoming event in memory of Attilio Ascarelli, the roman Jewish doctor who from the summer to the autumn of 1944 directed the exhumation and identification of the victims.
The event was broadcasted on the Facebook page of the Centre of Culture of the Jewish Community.

Translated by Oyebuchi Lucia Leonard and revised by Silvia Bozzo, students at Trieste University and the Advanced school for interpreters and Translators of Trieste University, interns at the newspaper office of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities.