Rome has celebrated the 80th anniversary of its Liberation. On June 4, 1944, Allied forces entered the Italian capital, expelling the Nazi-fascists and restoring normalcy. Scenes of jubilation erupted throughout the city as a sign of gratitude to the liberators, mainly Americans, Canadians and Brits under the orders of General Mark Clark. One iconic image from that day depicts the breaking of the seals at the Great Synagogue, symbolizing the newfound freedom for Roman Jews to gather there again.
\nAmerican soldier Charles Aaron Golub carried out this symbolic act. \u201cYou should have seen the expressions of incredulous happiness on the faces of the people: what a spectacle when the synagogue was reopened to the public and prayers of thanks rose into the sky,\u201d he wrote in a letter to his wife.
\n\u201cThe Liberation of Rome was a moment of rebirth of the city after months of oppression, crimes such as the roundup of the Jews of Rome, the Ardeatine Caves massacre, the round up of the Quadraro, a terror strategy to slow down the advance of the Allies and intimidate the partisan movement,\u201d said mayor Roberto Gualtieri during the celebrations, which began with the laying of a wreath at the symbolic site of the city’s Resistance: Porta San Paolo. The memory of that day \u201clived on\u201d in many events. Among others, a meeting at the John Cabot University was attended by the president of the Jewish Community of Rome Victor Fadlun who recalled how June 4, 1944, meant a \u201creturn to the light\u201d for the Jewish population after six dramatic years between persecution of rights and persecution of lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"