Italian Embassy Commemorates the Deportation of Rome’s Jews at Yad Vashem

(ANSA) - TEL AVIV, 16 OTT - The Italian Embassy in Israel participated in the Holocaust Memorial—Yad Vashem in Jerusalem—at the commemoration of the 83rd anniversary of the deportation of Rome’s Jews on October 16, 1943, organized by the association Hevrat Yehudè Italia Be-Israel. The ceremony began at the Tent of Remembrance, where the Italian Ambassador to Israel, Luca Ferrari, lit the commemorative flame in memory of the victims of the deportation. This was followed by remarks from Vito Anav, president of Hevrat Yehudè Italia Be-Israel; Ambassador Ferrari; and Samuele Rocca, a member of the association’s Executive Committee. The evening also featured testimonies from several representatives of the Italian community in Israel. In his remarks, Ambassador Ferrari emphasized the profound significance of the commemoration, stating that gathering at Yad Vashem to remember October 16, 1943, means “not merely repeating a ritual formula,” but “rediscovering the profound meaning of being a community.” “On October 16, 1943, in Rome, over a thousand Jews were torn from their homes and deported to Auschwitz. They were Italian citizens; they were Romans; they were an integral part of our society. Almost none of them ever returned,” the ambassador recalled, highlighting the tragedy of that day and the resulting duty of responsibility for democratic Italy and for Europe. Eighty-three years after that “Black Saturday,” Ferrari continued, “looking through the lens of memory” means understanding the present, recognizing the dangers, and remaining vigilant. The incidents of antisemitism that continue to occur in Europe and Italy—from attacks on people of Jewish identity to acts of vandalism against memorial sites—demonstrate how necessary it is to combat all forms of hatred and discrimination. A few days before the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the Ambassador also emphasized that that day represents “an abyss, a deep wound in the history and soul of Israel and the Jewish people.” He then reiterated the importance of acknowledging the reality of what happened and preserving an accurate record of the facts, protecting it from any attempt at distortion, even in the international public debate. Ferrari also dedicated a passage to the role of the Italian community in Israel, describing it as a “living bridge” between the two countries: a community that knows both nations intimately and bears witness to the fact that “human bonds are not broken, even in the darkest moments.” “If there is one certainty we must reaffirm with courage, it is that violence and terror will not prevail,” he stated. Referring to the legacy of Yad Vashem and the example of the Righteous Among the Nations, the ambassador recalled how many, during the Holocaust, chose to risk everything to save the lives of others. An example that, through the testimony of men and women who refused to look the other way, continues to point the way toward individual and collective responsibility in the face of injustice. “A just world is not a world free of dangers and misunderstandings. It is a world in which a community knows it is not alone, knows that its institutions and its homeland will never leave it alone,” Ferrari stated, reaffirming the commitment of Italy and its institutions to combating antisemitism and safeguarding the security of schools, synagogues, and gathering places of the Italian Jewish community.
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