Jewish officers and soldiers wearing uniforms of many nations celebrated Rosh Hashonah in one of Rome’s largest theatres, The Elisio, while more than 2,000 Italian Jews filled the Great Synagogue here, with thousands more crowding the street outside the synagogue building.
This was the first time since Italy’s entrance into the war that Jews in Rome were not afraid to pray openly in their synagogue on the High Holy Days. Last year secret Rosh Hashonah services were held in Rome in Catholic abbeys, monasteries and churches. This year Jewish families in the Italian capital worshipped as they pleased.
In Leghorn, Jews were not able to meet the New Year in their own synagogue, since the synagogue building was totally destroyed. In Florence, Jews were similarly prevented from worshipping in synagogues because of time bombs planted by the Germans which are still exploding.
The majority of the Jewish servicemen who attended the Rosh Hashonah services in the Eliseo Theatre were members of the American Fifth Army and of the British Eighth Army. But there were also officers and soldiers with patches on their uniforms reading Poland, Palestine, France, South Africa and Canada. Many of the Americans said that they had never before been inside a synagogue.
WOUNDED FIGHTERS COME FROM HOSPITALS TO PRAY
There were many wounded among those attending the services. Some of them came from base hospitals around Rome. Others , still wearing their maroon-colored robes, were brought in special transports from military hospitals as far as twenty miles from Rome. The ceremony was simple and impressive. It was conducted by Capt. Jacob Hochman of Chelsea, Mass., and by British Captain Meyer Berman. Two American Red Cross nurses – Helen Rutstein of Boston, and Dorothy Shulman of Brooklyn – lit the ceremonial candles.
Gen. Thoburn Brown, Brigadier commanding the Rome area, speaking at the services said, “May I remind you that no group has a greater stake in this war than the Jews. The Allied nations believe that every man is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Germans would reserve these rights only for themselves. That is really the basid issue in this struggle.” The General’s words were cheered by many of the worshippers.
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.
