ROME – October 16, 1943, the Jewish community and the mayor commemorate the Nazi roundup

“Here commenced the cruel hunt of the Jewish people.” This is the inscription on a plaque outside the Casina dei Vallati in Rome’s ancient Jewish ghetto. It commemorates the “Black Saturday” of the Jews of Rome. On the morning of October 16, 1943, the Nazi SS invaded the ancient Jewish neighborhood and later extended their search to other areas of the city. Of the 1,022 Jews captured and deported, only 16 returned home. One of them was Settimia Spizzichino, the only woman.

On the anniversary, the Jewish community and the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, held a ceremony to commemorate the tragedy. “We must never forget the Shoah and the crimes committed by our country. We must remember together with the community and the relatives of the victims,” said Gualtieri after the crowns were placed in Largo 16 Ottobre.

Standing next to Gualtieri were the President of Rome’s Jewish Community, Victor Fadlun; the Chief Rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni; the UCEI Delegate to Communication, David Jona Falco; the President of the Shoah Museum Foundation, Mario Venezia; the Chief of the Department of Foreign Affairs at the Israeli Embassy, Ophir Eden; and the Regional Councilor for Mobility, Fabrizio Ghera.

“This square evokes raw feelings. Civilians and families were affected. What happened makes us reflect on how far hatred can go,” said Fadlun. He noted that “the events of the last two years have awakened great sorrow in us” because “our efforts to raise awareness and promote remembrance have not yielded the desired results” within the Italian society.

Fadlun stated that the attempt to prevent Israel from holding a soccer match in Italy during a ceasefire is a consequence of “antisemitism and nothing else.”

The Community of Sant’Egidio also commemorated the Nazi roundup. For the Catholic organization, the wound inflicted on the city that day “is deep and calls us to speak out against all forms of antisemitism and racism.” A few days later, on October 19, Roman Jews commemorated the Nazi roundup with a silent march through the historic Ghetto. Since 2010, Elvira Di Cave, Daniel Di Porto, Elio Limentani, and Sami Modiano, one of the few surviving Holocaust victims, have organized the event. As is tradition, the names of the deportees were read aloud.

“After October 7, every page dedicated to remembering the Shoah and every educational effort to transmit what happened during those dark years becomes even more meaningful,” said UCEI president Noemi Di Segni. “The most painful thing is to see, once again, all of those masses, squares, and groups praising the massacre and repeating empty sentences in response to the delirium of minds addicted to and indoctrinated by hatred.” Di Segni said that the motto “Never Again” and Holocaust remembrance are the duty of republican institutions and Italian citizens, but “this cannot be evoked if, in other squares and offices — in Parliament, academic institutions, the media, and alleged cultural initiatives — the existence of Israel is obscured and people cry out against a genocide.” Di Segni then asked, “What kind of memory can there be if a Europe radicalized by hate doesn’t defend the freedom built on the ashes of the Holocaust?”

Translated by Rebecca Luna Escobar and revised by Matilde Bortolussi, 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.