A foundation named in memory of an Italian patriot who was arrested and deported for helping Italian Jews flee to Switzerland from the Nazi-Fascist regime publicly apologized today for having awarded a gold medal to a man who signed Benito Mussolini’s racial manifesto in 1938. The manifesto marked the beginning of the Fascist persecution of the Jews in Italy.
The apology came after the Union of Italian Jewish Communities had addressed a protest to the Bruno Rezzara Foundation over its award of a gold medal to Prof. Sabato Visco. Prof. Visco was a signatory of the racist manifesto. Bruno Rezzara’s brother, in his apology to the Union, said that he had not been aware of Prof. Visco’s Fascist background when the award was decided upon.
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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.