On October 6, the Italian citizen Victor Green, 33 years old, was identified as the seventh victim of the Jaffa terror shooting. \u201cThe link between Italy and Israel unfortunately also goes through this,\u201d said Jonathan Peled, the designate ambassador of the Jewish state in Rome, speaking at a packed Great Synagogue in remembrance of two tragic events: the October 7 attacks and the Palestinian attack on the synagogue in Rome on October 9, 1982. There is a connection, the Jewish Community recalled in announcing the commemoration. Not just because in both cases it was Shemini Atzeret, a joyous holiday turned into a tragedy, but because the same existential threat of terrorism remains.
\n\u201cIsrael did not want this war,\u201d said the ambassador in his first public address since taking office. \u201cBut we cannot afford to lose it, and for this reason, we will win. We will do everything to bring home our brothers and sisters who are being held hostages in Gaza; we will continue to fight against extremism, the threat of Iran, and antisemitism in Italy and around the world. We will succeed, all together.\u201d The concept of unity was evoked also by Gadiel Gaj Tach\u00e9, brother of little Stefano, the two-year-old victim of Palestinian terrorism in Rome, who was severely injured in the attack on the Temple.
\n\u201cWe needed to come together, to unite,\u201d was the message with which he opened his address. \u201cToday, the masks of the so-called \u2018peace pretenders\u2019 have fallen,\u201d he said. \u201cThe idea of \u2018two peoples, two states\u2019 has always been a joke\u2014not because we don\u2019t want it, but because the Palestinians have never desired it.\u201d Paraphrasing the writer Primo Levi, Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni criticized those who, \u201csafe in their comfortable homes, think they can teach morality to those who risk their lives.\u201d The intent of many anti-Israel protesters is clear, he continued with bitter sarcasm: \u201cThey want to destroy Israel; they are not antisemites, but they want to kill another six million Jews.\u201d
\nVictor Fadlun, president of the Rome Jewish Community, questioned \u201chow students from schools and universities can be so foolish,\u201d failing to understand \u201cthe homophobic and illiberal world\u201d for which they are protesting. Nevertheless, Israel \u201cwill win because it is not isolated.\u201d Fadlun noted this was evident \u201cwith many Sunni Arabs celebrating after the killing of Hamas leader Nasrallah\u201d and with the expressions of support from the White House ally. The evening, hosted by journalist David Parenzo and featuring contributions from youth groups and recorded testimonies from Israel, concluded with a reflection from Eitan Della Rocca: \u201cA year of hard trials has come to an end. We must recognize that Hashem is with us, guiding us toward hope.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"