Marcello and Ada Via rescued the Sadun family. Laura Maria Arduini saved Laura Sonnino and Masino Coen, a married couple. On June 10, all four were honored as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. The Israeli Embassy in Italy organized the ceremony, which took place at the Shoah Foundation Museum in Rome. The first rescue took place in Florence, where the Vias hosted six people for several months until they found refuge in Switzerland in February 1944. The second rescue occurred in Rome and only ended when the city was liberated in June. Ms. Luigia Arduini hosted the Coens and shared her home with her 19-year-old niece, Laura Arduini Mazzei, and her brother, Carlo. Despite their lack of resources, the Arduinis shared their food with the Coens. After WWII, the rescued family offered Ms. Arduini a reward, but she firmly refused.
The honor of “Righteous Among the Nations” is conferred by Yad Vashem upon those who rescued Jews during WWII without asking anything in return. As it is written in the Talmud, “Whoever saves a life, saves the entire world.” Today, the families of survivors number in the hundreds. They owe their lives to the courageous individuals who saved their grandfathers,” said Israeli Vice Ambassador Lior Keinan.
“We welcome initiatives such as this with enthusiasm. They remind us that courageous choices can make a difference in some contexts,” said Mario Venezia, president of the Shoah Foundation Museum. Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, emphasized that the honor “prizes concrete choices, not words or intentions.”
The ceremony was led by journalist Luca Monticelli. Those who participated included Silvia Haia Antonucci, who supported the research in the Jewish Community archives, as well as the relatives of the rescuers and the families they rescued.