The Italian Government has ruled that Jews in Italy who survived persecution during World War II cannot be exempted from paying a post-war reconstruction levy that has been applied to all Italian residents who were not considered “enemies” by the Fascist regime. Finance Undersecretary Vincenzo Russo said arguments to exempt Jews were “worthy of full consideration under a human aspect” but lacked a “convincing legal basis.” The levy was imposed in 1947 to help rebuild Italy’s shattered economy. Many Italian Jews have demanded exemption on the grounds that they were treated far worse than enemy aliens by the Nazis.
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.
