Renewing its violent anti-Semitic tirades, Regime Fascista today obliquely demanded that the Government eliminate Jews from the Italian General Staff, the stock exchange and the press. The anti-Jewish organ, published by the outspoken Fascist leader Roberto Farinacci, thus interpreted the statement concerning Italy’s Jewish problem which appeared in the official Foreign Office organ, Informazion Diplomatica, yesterday.
Despite opinion in some quarters that the Informazione views indicated that Italy is not planning to embark on a sweeping course to eliminate Jews from all walks of public life, Farinacci’s journal insisted the article was anti-Semitic in tone.
“Certain quarters,” Regime Fascista wrote,” ask what practical measures will be taken. The response is simple: In commanding positions of the Italian nation, in institutions where students are educated to pass into the army general staff, in the press and in the stock exchange, the men of another race, of another country, can no longer be admitted.
“In the realm of business, Jews will be permitted the same rights as other foreigners who invest their capital in industrial corporations and insurance companies, provided of course their activities do not run counter to the economic goals of the nation. The same will hold true in the liberal professions.”
In this connection the resignation last week of Gino Olivetti, Jewish president of the Cotton Institute and vice-president of the Textiles Corporation, was reportedly prompted by “personal motives,” But it was deemed significant that Olivetti was the object of several attacks in the Italian anti-Semitic press.
The Regime Fascista pointed to the suggestion contained in the Informazione Diplomatica that the Jewish problem can be solved only by creation of a Jewish state — not Palestine — as the basis for its argument that the Government plans to weed out Jews from important public and private posts in Italy.
The settlement of Jews in Ethiopia as a solution of the world Jewish problem was suggested by some Italian quarters. Italian diplomatic circles said cooperation between Italy and other powers on such a plan was within the realm of possibilities. They pointed out in this connection that the first Italian volunteer killed in the Ethiopian campaign, was a Jew.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
