ROME (JTA) – A group of 20 Holocaust memorials in downtown Rome that were stolen in December have been replaced.
The Stolpersteine, or stumbling stone, memorial project was begun in the 1990s by the German artist Gunter Demnig. Brass plates, like cobblestones, are placed in front of the homes of people deported during the Holocaust, with the name, year of birth and fate of the person memorialized.
Demnig personally installs the stones, and he replaced the stolen ones in Rome ahead of Tuesday’s ceremony attended by the city’s mayor, Jewish leaders and other dignitaries.
In addition, on Tuesday and Wednesday he installed 26 other stumbling stones in various parts of Rome. He will install others this month in more than 30 towns and cities around Italy.
