Italy’s President joins Rome’s March of the Living marking 80 years since Auschwitz deportations

Tuesday, October 17, 2023 – Ten days after Hamas's deadly attack on Israel's citizens, a March of the Living was held in Rome in the presence of the President of the Republic of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and Holocaust survivors. Also attending were representatives of the Jewish community in Rome, including Victor Fadlun, the President of the community; Johanna Arbib, board member, along with senior representatives from the International March of the Living, including Michel Gourary, March of the Living's Europe Director, and Revital Yakin Krakovsky, Deputy CEO, International March of the Living. 

The march was escorted by a heavy security presence to ensure the safety of the participants amidst growing threats against Jewish communities and institutions around the world.

October 16, 1943, marked the first deportation of the Jews in Rome, when approximately 1,000 Jews were sent to the Auschwitz extermination camp, where they were murdered. The March of the Living began at the Capitol and concluded at the Great Synagogue in the Jewish ghetto in Rome, where the closing ceremony was held.

Also leading the march was Michel Gourary, Director of the European March of the Living, and Revital Yakin Krakovsky, Deputy CEO of the International March of the Living and the third generation of a Holocaust survivor from Rome. Revital marched alongside her father and two daughters, representing three generations of the descendants of Rome's Jewish community, including Revital's great-grandfather, Angelo Sonino.

Revital commented: "Our march in Rome today serves as a reminder for the entire world that the Holocaust must not be forgotten as the worst period of human history. Unfortunately, its lessons are still relevant today; murderous hatred of Jews has not disappeared. The world still needs to be reminded of the meaning of 'Never Again.' Last week, Israel paid an unimaginable price as it suffered the greatest massacre against Jews since the Holocaust. We marched in Rome today at the place from where the city's Jews were sent to Auschwitz, with a heavy heart and great pain for the Jews of Italy who were murdered 80 years ago, and for the people of Israel who were murdered last week in the vicious terror attack."

In total, 7,680 Italian Jews were killed in the Holocaust from a community of 44,500 individuals. Italy, under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, was an ally of Hitler, and racial laws that led to the persecution of Jews were enacted in Italy in 1938. However, until September 1943, Italian Jews were not sent to extermination camps. This changed with the entry of the Allied forces into southern Italy and the establishment of puppet governments under Mussolini in other regions, to which the Germans arrived and began implementing the final solution. Deportations from Italy began in October 1943, starting from Rome, followed by further deportations from other cities across the country. Many Italian Jews were arrested and detained in camps within the country, and some were forced into slave labor. The Germans received full cooperation from the Italians.

Victor Fadlun, President of the Jewish community, said that since the Hamas attack on Israel, the community has been very active in explaining the emotions surrounding the highly charged situation to the media, as well as raising funds for Israel. "We thought that no one would ever again dare to enter our homes, kill our children, divide families, and take away children, women, and the elderly, just because we are Jews. But it happened again. In Israel, in the Jewish state. We are the Jews of Rome, and we stand proudly alongside the State of Israel where our sisters and brothers live, the only democracy in the Middle East," said Fadlun.

Joanna Arbib, Member of the Board of the Roman Jewish Community responsible for international relations, said that canceling the march was not an option. "The situation is very critical. The organizers are very aware of safety concerns, but there has been no thought of canceling the March. As our sages teach, we have to continue to live as proud Jews and must not be afraid." 

Michel Gourary said, "Eighty years ago, on October 16, 1943, the Nazis brutally dragged 1,250 Roman Jews from their homes at 7 AM and later put them on a  train to Auschwitz. And ten days ago, the new Nazis of Hamas entered houses and military bases at 7 AM and butchered 1,400 Israelis. For the last eighty years, we have repeated our commitment: Never Again. But it did happen again!"

The full article about the March of the Living in Rome will appear on Friday.

This article was written in cooperation with The International March of the Living.