“Remembering is a duty, and we must see to it that, first and foremost, we render homage to the many women and men who acted as heroes in that extraordinary situation and stood up to the negation of humanity”. With these words Minister for Foreign Affairs Giulio Terzi commemorates the Day of Remembrance, a solemn, public occasion for reflection on a dark moment of human history, 27 January 1945, when the gates of Auschwitz were opened. Among the first to do so in Europe, the Italian Parliament set aside this day 12 years ago.
“Italian men and women who, in other circumstances, would not have been called upon to be heroes, stood up to absolute evil with courage and the strength of their convictions. This heroism often took the form, especially on Italian soil, of employing every strategy possible to save the Jews, and not only Italians”. “Today”, Terzi underscored, “we honour the legacy of those “right-minded”, in the name of whom we shall continue to fight against all forms of intolerance”.
The foreign ministry is promoting events in many countries once again this year through its embassies, consulates and network of cultural institutes. The Embassy in Washington, will host the presentation of theatrical piece “1938–L’invenzione del Nemico” on racial laws. The film “The Righteous Enemy”, directed by Joseph Rochlitz, sheds light on the role of the members of the foreign service and the armed forces in opposing the deportation of approximately 40,000 Jews. A cycle of seminars is to be held in Berlin on “rethinking history” and on the theme of German Jewish emigration to Italy. The Embassy in Israel has organized a concert at the ENAV Cultural Centre in Tel Aviv. Commemorative events are also planned for Moscow and Madrid: the Italian Cultural Institute in the Russian capital will be offering a seminar on the theme “Shoah: Childhood Stolen”, and Madrid will be the setting for the musical repertory “Una voz para la vida” of Italian Jewish songstress Charlette Shulamit Ottolenghi.