A German writer and a representative of a Florentine family who aided Jews during the Nazi occupation of Italy in 1943 and ’44, were awarded gold medals today by Ambassador Ehud Avriel of Israel. The recipients were Armin Wagner who helped many Jews escape the deportation round-ups, and Mario Elina Santorini, of Florence, whose family protected Jews in hiding. Mr. Santorini said he always considered his family’s actions as normal moral behavior. Mr. Wagner, in a brief emotional response, said he could not accept thanks because it was he himself who should be thankful to the Jews.
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