In 2024, more than 60,000 people, 6,000 of whom were young, visited the exhibitions at the Casina dei Vallati in the Jewish Quarter, where the Museum of the Shoah in Rome is located. Over 2,250 young people took part in programs aimed at developing cross-functional skills, made possible by a network of 41 volunteers and nine collaborators. Meanwhile, the number of the institution\u2019s partners and supporters increased.
These are some of the data highlighted in the Foundation\u2019s2024 Social Report, which was presented June 11 at the National Council for Economics and Labor (CNEL). The CNEL is an Italian constitutional body that advises the government and parliament on economic and social matters.
Despite international tensions that \u201crekindled antisemitic rhetoric and prejudices\u201d in academia and public debate, the report’s results are positive, according to the Foundation’s president, Mario Venezia. This is especially notable considering that, over the months, the \u201ceasy hosts\u201d of the Foundation’s initiatives dwindled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAntisemitism and racism are rampant,\u201d he commented. \u201cIs all that we have done pointless? No, because we see the positive impact that our projects have on thousands of students.\u201d A good example, he recalled, were three buses of students in Vibo Valentia (Calabria) that left at 4 am to attend a recent meeting with Holocaust survivor Sami Modiano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Report and communication challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The President of the Union of Jewish Communities, Noemi Di Segni, said that the specificity of the Foundation\u2019s Social Report is also a challenge regarding \u201cthe communication of the Shoah and of the Jewish world in a dramatic time, when Jewish communities, with other organizations and institutions, are called to defend historical truths,\u201d as well as the fact that \u201cJews and Judaism are not only the Shoah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have always had a relation of great affection, esteem, and sympathy with the Jewish world,\u201d said Renato Brunetta, President of CNEL and former Minister of Public Administration. \u201cToday, in this difficult time, this sympathy is even stronger. I thought antisemitism and antizionism were behind us, but evidently, they are not.\u201d The meeting was an opportunity for the Foundation to present this year’s program. Along with book presentations, movies, educational events, and productions, a Summer School for teachers will be held, and a website will display a selection of archival documents and video interviews with testimonies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"