Jews in Italy Urge Government to Act Against Anti-semitism

The Union of Italian Jewish Communities has urged the Government of Italy to strengthen legal sanctions and establish a substantial program of public education on the dangers of racism to avert a repetition of the January spate of anti-Semitic incidents in Italy, it was disclosed today.

Dr. Sergio Piperno. president of the Union, conferred on the problem with Luigi Rosso, Deputy Chief of the Italian Premier’s office, and Luigi Medici, Italian Minister of Education. Both officials assured Dr. Piperno of the interest and concern of the Government.

Dr. Piperno’s visits followed an extraordinary meeting convened by the Union and attended by the Rabbinical Council of Italy and the presidents and Chief Rabbis of all Italian Jewish communities. Delegates to the conference stressed the gratitude of Italian Jewry to Italian civil authorities, associations, political parties, newspapers and private citizens who expressed their solidarity with Italian Jewry during the incidents.

The conference also lauded the prompt measures taken by authorities to protect Jewish persons and property from criminal acts and to locate and prosecute the anti-Semitic vandals and hooligans. The conference added, however, that an “immediate and explicit condemnation” by the Government would have probably served as “more effective warning” to the vandals.

ASK TO CONSIDER ANTI-JEWISH INCITEMENT A CRIMINAL OFFENSE

Stressing the urgent necessity for long-range programs, the conference urged that Italian authorities act to include in the new Italian penal code, scheduled for early approval by the Italian Parliament, clauses to define as crimes actions committed in violation of the principle of racial and religious equality for all citizens, and action or propaganda aimed at provoking hatred and violence against individuals or groups because of their ethnic, religious or racial status.

The conference also urged that the curricula of Italian public schools be expanded to assure that Italy’s children and youth be fully informed of the events of the Nazi era and of the consequences of fascist and Nazi movements. Another proposal urged by the conference was a widespread.program of information on radio, television, lectures. debates and documentary exhibitions about the Nazi period, particularly the Nazi concentration camps, so that the Italian public would be fully informed of the horrors of that period.

In his talk with Signor Russo, Dr. Piperno also urged that all public documents, registrations and civil administration files should be examined to delete all references to “of Jewish race,” which had been established by the 1938 fascist racial laws. The Italian official assured Dr. Piperno that the requests would receive serious consideration by Italian authorities. He expressed the hope and intention to see to it that the Government acted promptly on the suggestions to assure complete protection of Italian racial and religious minorities, particularly the Jewish communities.

Signor Medici assured the Jewish leader that new textbooks in preparation would cover the history of Italy during the Fascist period and World War II. Present texts stop at World War I.