Einstein family murder commemorated

On 3 August 1944, the family of Robert Einstein, a cousin of Nobel Prize Laureate Albert Einstein, was murdered by German soldiers in Rignano sull’Arno, in Italy shortly before their withdrawal from the area. Robert’s wife was executed with his two daughters and the house set on fire.
At the time Robert, who had lived in Italy for many decades, was in hiding. Since neither his wife or daughter were Jewish, he deemed his family not to be in danger. He survived but committed suicide less than a year later. Despite the efforts of Albert, the perpetrators were never brought to justice.
Last week, as every year, the massacre was commemorated in a public ceremony in Rignano, 20 kilometers southeast of Florence. “The memory of this event invites to a reflection on different levels. The first is the importance of never forgetting how an ideology can go so far as to fear, hate, estrange, dehumanize and even exterminate those who are considered different. The second is a reflection on the importance of carrying on the memory, also remembering these painful events”.