On Tisha B’Av, one of the most solemn fast days in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem, a group of Roman Jews visited the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, near Anzio. As per tradition, they honored Melton Mednick, a young Jewish American soldier who fell in Italy on August 11, 1943, which was Tisha B’Av that year. The group recited a kaddish at his grave in a moment of deep reflection and remembrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rome\u2019s Jewish Community president Victor Fadlun and UCEI vice president Giulio Disegni participated in the event and remembered the sacrifice of those who fought to liberate Europe and protect the Jewish people during WWII.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Located a few kilometers from Rome, the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is one of the most solemn and well-maintained sites commemorating the legacy of American soldiers in Italy. Dedicated in 1956, it contains the headstones of 7,858 American military war dead. Most of them died during the liberation of Sicily (July 10 to August 17, 1943), the Salerno landings (September 9, 1943), the subsequent fighting, the Anzio landings (January 22, 1944), and the subsequent expansion of the beachhead (through May 1944), as well as during air and naval support operations in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the white crosses marking most of the graves, many Stars of David engraved in the headstones remind us of the Jewish presence among the Allied troops. The tradition of visiting on Tisha B\u2019Av highlights the contributions of American Jews as citizens of a free and democratic country to the fight against Nazi fascism and the liberation of Italy. This memory is often neglected. Recalling it on a day that marks the greatest destruction in Jewish history is a symbolic act that acknowledges those who bravely fought to prevent further destruction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"