Jewry’s Intellectual Contributions to Italian Culture Show What Jews Can Do in Land Where Anti-semit

One of the finest examples of what Jews can do for the enrichment of culture in lands where barbarous anti-Semitism does not bar the doors to them and where it is not considered necessary to institute a numerus clausus to save the country from the “Jewish menace” is Italy. In the home of Mussolini the Jews have made such tremendous contributions to every phase of social, political and cultural life that it becomes almost difficult to believe that they constitute but one-tenth of one percent of the total population. There are entire provinces in Italy in which millions of people live where there are almost no Jewish families and no organized Jewish communities-Calabria, Sicily, Apulia, Sardinia and the district of Naples.

In the last sixty years, that is, since Italy became an independent kingdom, Italian Jews who received equal citizenship from the new monarchy gave their fatherland names of international importance in science and art. Jewish statesmen and economists helped the young nation to achieve the status of a world power. Italy was not slow to recognize the accomplishments of its gifted Jewish citizens and holds their names and achievements in reverence.

Among such Jews who spread the name of Italy far and wide were Cesare Lombroso, Luigi Luzatti, Alessandro Artom, Professor Enriques, Professor Elias Lates and Professor Del Veccio. Lombroso, one of the world’s greatest sociologists, created a new school in that science and changed all our ideas about crime, the effect of the social environment upon the development of criminals and on the type of the so-called born criminal. Not only was he an eminent scientist but he was a great social reformer. His daughter, Gina Lombroso, is emulating her distinguished sire.

Luigi Luzatti was a many-sided genius. His fame was not only as a statesman but as a student of religion, literature, art and philosophy. It was he who established the first cooperative banks in Italy and on a number of occasions saved the country from financial bankruptcy. Luzatti was a pioneer social reformer. In statecraft Luzatti, Italy’s Jewish prime minister, was not alone among Jews, Senators Marfurgo, Wallembargo. Martara and Ancona, having been cabinet ministers and important figures in Italian finance.

It is in the scientific world that we find many distinguished Jewish names. Professor Lates devoted a lifetime to research into the language, history and customs of the ancient Etruscans who inhabited Italy before the Romans. His dictionary of the Etruscan language is world famous. Thanks to this monumental work, science is now able to carry on further study into the life and language of that mysterious people. Prof. Grazziadio Ascoli is also well known for his studies in Indo-Germanic tongues.

A list of the Jewish scientists of Italy whose fame is not parochial would fill many pages. In some universities, the one at Pisa for example, most of the important posts are held by Jews. In the universities of Padua, Bologna, and Turin one finds such names as Prof. Bendetti, an authority on physiology; Prof. Sanati, Prof. Senramanin-Yakur and Prof. Lustig, who presided at the last anti-cancer world congress. Recently Dr. Eisenstadt has come to the fore.

Until recently, Prof. Del Veccio, editor of the Inter-National Journal of Legal Philosophy, was rector of the University of Rome. Prof. Del Veccio, together with the economist, Prof. Arias, who is known as the Fascist Karl Marx, are the two most important Jewish personalities who had been adherents of Fascism since its inception.

Jewish scientific authorities are especially prominent in the physio-mathematical faculty of the University of Rome. Among them are two whose reputation is international, Prof. Enriques, the Italian Einstein, and Prof. Levi-Civita, the only Jewish member of the Papal Scientific Academy. Prof. Levi-Civita always heads the Italian delegation at international philosophical congresses.

In literature, art and music Jews have also contributed to Italian culture Anniola Orvieto, the bard of Florence, is one of Italy’s most popular poets. Some years ago he wrote a poem called “A Wind from Zion” which describes the feelings Zion aroused in him. An honored figure in Italian literature is Sabatini Lopez, the president of the Italian Authors’ League. Lopez hails from Leghorn although he now lives in Milan where he is active in Jewish affairs and a leading worker for the Jewish National Fund.

Italio Sveto of Trieste, has a special niche in Italian literature. Sveto, whose real name is Schmidt, is now being “discovered” by Italian critics who have dubbed him the Italian Proust. For many years a wine merchant in Trieste, he devoted his leisure time to literary creation. Recently, however, he has gained reecognition as one of the outstanding personalities in contemporary Italian literature. Alberto Moravia is another Jewish writer who has achieved recognition as have Guido de Verona and Pitigrilli.

Italy, the land of music, also has its Jewish composers. Castelnuov-Tedesco, is a man of real talent, his opera La Mandagola having been presented with great success at La Scala in Milan. Incidentally this famous opera house is now managed by a Jewess, Anita Colombo. Vittorio Rietti and E. Sinigalia have long since won fame for their musical works.