MILAN – “Let’s all wear the kippah,” an initiative against Jewish hatred

From Milan to Rome, “let’s all wear the kippah for one day in solidarity with the Jewish world and in response to the wave of antisemitism that has swept Italy since October 7.” The libertarian association Europa Radicale launched the initiative during a press conference organized at the Jewish Community of Milan with a letter addressed to the mayors of the main Italian cities of Italy inviting them to publicly wear the kippah for one day.

It is a symbolic gesture, designed to have a concrete impact in an environment where more and more Jews report feeling threatened simply for being recognized as such. “Antisemitism has once again become a mass prejudice, culturally and politically legitimized by so-called ‘anti-Zionist’ stances,” reads the appeal of Europa Radicale.

The conference was attended by Igor Boni, Lorenzo Strik Lievers and Carmelo Palma of Europa Radicale, and the vice-president of the Jewish Community of Milan, Ilan Boni. At the end of the press conference, the three representatives of Europa Radicale wore the kippah and declared their intention to wear it in public in the coming days.

Boni: We need solidarity and caution

“At a time like this, every person outside the Jewish community who decides to stand up and denounce the difficulties we are experiencing as Italian Jews deserves our attention. Our life today is not like that of other citizens: we live a different exposure, and the sense of danger has increased compared to a few years ago,” the vice-president of the Jewish Community told Pagine Ebraiche. “When a religious symbol like the kippah becomes something that puts you in danger, it means that the atmosphere around you has deteriorated worsened decisively.”

Particularly difficult, he said, is finding the right words when your children ask the most difficult questions. 

“My daughters asked me, ‘Why do they hate us so much? Why do they shout ‘Death to the Jews’ in the squares of Milan?’ There is no logical explanation. We are somehow forced to justify ourselves.” That is why it is so important to coordinate initiatives with people outside of the Jewish community. “We don’t want to be alone, and we don’t have to.”

Translated by Rebecca Luna Escobar and revised by Chiara Tona, students at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste, trainees in the newsroom of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities — Pagine Ebraiche.