Viviana Kasam, journalist, science communicator, and co-founder of the non-profit association Brain Circle Italy with Rita Levi-Montalcini, has passed away in Rome. Kasam, a prominent advocate for Holocaust remembrance, created numerous projects on the Shoah and collaborated closely with Pagine Ebraiche, where she regularly addressed contemporary issues related to Judaism and explained scientific advancements, with a focus on Israel.
\nBorn in Milan to businessman and philanthropist Avram Goldstein-Goren and Stella Cukier, Kasam also played a key role between 2014 and 2017 in organizing the Concerts of Remembrance, an initiative of Italy\u2019s Prime Minister\u2019s Office in collaboration with the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities. \u201cThrough these three concerts for Holocaust Remembrance Day, I sought to restore voice and cultural identity to those whom persecution tried to silence: to the instruments intended to fall silent forever, to the music that faced erasure as those who wrote and performed it were killed, and public performance of it was forbidden,\u201d she wrote in Pagine Ebraiche (January 2016).
\nKasam further explained, \u201cThe idea that drives me, an inspiration from my father\u2014founder of Jewish cultural study centers around the world\u2014is that we Jews should not be known solely as victims, but for our culture, our values, and our talents. We must regain our role as active agents, not the passive objects that others\u2019 hatred has sought to make of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commitment to Brain Circle <\/strong><\/p>\n In 2009, she joined the board of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she pursued numerous international initiatives. Her work was honored in 2023 when the university awarded her an honorary doctorate in philosophy, recognizing her international contributions, dedication to Jewish cultural promotion, and her advocacy for increased female representation in neuroscience. A theme she further developed through Brain Circle, the non-profit organization she founded in 2010.
\n\u201cOur goal is to disseminate knowledge about brain research\u2014a vital understanding, as we are our brain,\u201d she explained to Pagine Ebraiche in March 2011. \u201cI founded BrainCircle Italy with the support of Nobel laureate Rita Levi Montalcini and her close associate, Pietro Calissano, a remarkable scientist and unwavering supporter of our mission.
\nIn an article discussing brain function, she underscored the link between happiness and health. \u201cIn these times of anger, hostility, and self-centeredness, it\u2019s worth recalling that kindness and compassion benefit our health. This isn\u2019t mere moralizing. Neuroscientists have found that acts of solidarity, charity, and empathy increase serotonin, the happiness hormone, and endorphins, the pleasure hormone. Happiness and pleasure stimulate the immune system, regulate cardiovascular activity, slow aging, and extend life expectancy.\u201d
\nDuring the pandemic, she launched a platform to counter COVID-19 misinformation, offering fact-based scientific resources. \u201cThe pandemic,\u201d she remarked at the time, \u201cis a crucial wake-up call, prompting us to reassess our habits on both personal and global levels.\u201d
\nMay her memory be a blessing.<\/p>\n