Restrictive measures taken by the Italian War Ministry forbidding foreigners in Italy from sojourning at mountain and seaside resorts in war or fortified zones have been extended to include native Jews.
The order, coming at the close of the summer season, directly affected about 2,500 Jews. Although a number of exceptions were made, the great majority were accorded 24 hours within which to return to the “seat of their normal residence.” They included many persons residing in summer homes.
Although seemingly a military precaution in wartime, this latest anti-Jewish action is generally interpreted as a reply to a recent wave of propaganda in the newspaper Il Tevere and the Regime Fascista, describing as “the great Italian tragedy” the alleged fact that Jews were permitted to enjoy themselves in public idleness while the rest of the country was fighting in a war to the death.
Actually, the enforced idleness of Italian Jews has been due to the fact that they are barred from military service and have been eliminated from most employment. This has caused many of them to take up residence in summer resorts as an economic and sensible way to pass the time.
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