The news of Silvio Berlusconi’s death, the former Italian prime minister, aroused many reactions in Israel and in Jewish Italy. “The Jewish communities express their condolences for the death of Silvio Berlusconi, not only a political leader, but also a personality who has marked the history of Italy. We remember him as a person who was close to the Jewish world, recognizing its contribution to the development of the country and supporting the relationship with its institutions”, says the UCEI President Noemi di Segni. She adds: “A great friend to Israel, who was always committed with his own party to safeguard Israeli right to exist, to defend itself and to progress towards peace and prosperity. Our deepest closeness to his family and his closest collaborators”.
The Embassy of Israel in Italy underlined in a message of condolence that “President Berlusconi was always in the forefront of the fight against all forms of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. For this very reason, one of his main personal and policy objectives was the strengthening of relations between Italy and Israel. Thanks to his constant effort, the bilateral relations between Rome and Jerusalem have become increasingly tighter and stronger”.
 
Translated by Sofia Busatto, revised by Valentina Megera, students at the Secondary School of Modern Languages for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste, interns at the newspaper office of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities – Pagine Ebraiche. 

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Born in 2014, the Viktor Ullmann Festival aims at bringing back to life works by Jews and non-Jew composers persecuted by Nazi fascism for their cultural commitment, their artistic activity, and their identity. The music festival, set in Trieste, opened a few days ago with a concert in the synagogue which had as protagonists the Abimà string orchestra in collaboration with the G. Verdi wind orchestra, with the direction of Maestro Davide Casali and with Manuel Figheli solo accordion.
In the first part of the concert, organized by the Associazione Musica Libera in collaboration with the Jewish Community of Trieste and the Casali Foundations, along with Aaron Copland Fanfare for the Common Man (1942), the Symphony No. 1 in C minor (1899) by Bruno Morpurgo was performed in a world premiere. Morpurgo was a Jewish composer from Trieste who died during the First World War fighting near Gorizia, and his original scores were donated to the Museum of the Jewish Community of Trieste by his nephew (more details in the article below).

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Né à Vienne dans une famille juive originaire de Trieste, Bruno Morpurgo (1875-1917) était un compositeur prolifique et cependant encore peu connu, qui a produit différentes œuvres de musique de chambre, deux symphonies, lieder et musique instrumentale. L'intérêt de l'Associazione Musica Libera (Association Musique Libre) pour son œuvre a mené à la réalisation d'un cd dans lequel se démarquent deux "symphonies retrouvées" composées par le jeune Morpurgo, qui tombera ensuite sur les champs de bataille de la Grande Guerre en portant l'uniforme de l'armée Autrichienne. Elles ont été jouées par l'Orchestre Symphonique du Frioul-Vénétie Julienne et le Quartet Mark Rothko.
Développé en 2022 à partir de la collaboration entre l'association elle-même, qui a gagné un concours régional, le Musée de la Communauté Juive de Trieste "Carlo e Vera Wagner", la municipalité de Gradisca d'Isonzo et les deux formations artistiques, le projet redonne vie à une Symphonie n. 1 en do mineur du 1899 et un Quartet en La mineur du 1897.

Traduit par Alida Caccia, étudiante de l’École Supérieure pour les Interprètes et les Traducteurs de Trieste et stagiaires dans le bureau du journal de l’Union des communautés juives italiennes – Pagine Ebraiche.

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Their merits range from the commitment to remembrance to the fight against the pandemic to diplomatic and economic cooperation. With these motivations, Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Arnon Shahar, Clelia Di Consiglio, and David Moses were recently conferred the honor of Commander of the Order of the Star of Italy by the Italian embassy in Israel. The recognition is granted by the President of the Italian Republic to those who have distinguished themselves in promoting friendship and collaboration between Italy and other countries. "We are grateful for your commitment to fostering ties between Italy and Israel and in creating important opportunities for cooperation", remarked the Italian ambassador in Israel Sergio Barbanti, conferring the honor on the four winners. Among them, Nidam-Orvieto, Director of the International Institute for Holocaust Research in Yad Vashem, has been recognized for her important work on Memory, with many research and projects dedicated to the history of Italian Jews.

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By Elsa Keslassy*

Cohen Media Group has scooped rights to “Kidnapped,” the latest movie by revered Italian master Marco Bellocchio, which world premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The drama reconstructs the true tale of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy who was kidnapped and forcibly raised as a Christian in 19th-century Italy.
Described by Variety as a “handsomely mounted period drama,” “Kidnapped” opens in 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, where the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby, and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education.

*This article was originally published on Variety on June 8, 2023.

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