Newly Discovered Archive Documents Reveal that Thousands of Jews were Hidden by Catholic Institutions during the War time Occupation of Rome
A joint press release by the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Jewish Community of Rome, and Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, published on 7 September, provided details of the discovery.
Found in the archive of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome were unpublished documentation listing the people, mostly Jews, protected from persecution of Nazi-fascists in the Capital thanks to the refuge offered to them in ecclesial institutions of the city.
The list
of the host religious congregations (100 female and 55 male congregations), together with their respective
numbers of people hosted by them, had already been published by the historian Renzo De Felice in 1961,
however the complete documentation was considered lost.
The lists now found refer
to over 4,300 people, of whom 3,600 are identified by name. By comparison with documents
preserved in the archive of the Jewish Community of Rome, about 3,200 are certainly Jews. From
the latter know where they were hidden and, in certain circumstances, the places of residence before the
persecution. The documentation thus significantly increases the information on the history of
rescue of Jews in the context of religious institutes in Rome. For reasons of privacy protection, access
the document is currently confidential. The document was presented during the workshop “Salvati. The
Jews hidden in the religious institutes of Rome (1943-1944)" which was held on 7 September 2023 at the
Museum of the Holocaust in Rome.
The documentation found was compiled by the Italian Jesuit Fr. Gozzolino Birolo between June 1944 and the spring of 1945, immediately after the liberation of Rome. Birolo was treasurer of the Pontifical Institute Biblical from 1930 until his death from cancer in June 1945. Rector of the Institute in this period is was the Jesuit Fr. Augustin Bea, who was created cardinal in 1959 and became known for his commitment to the Jewish-Catholic dialogue, above all for the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate.
The historians involved in the study of the new documents are Claudio Procaccia, Director of the Department Culture of the Jewish Community of Rome, Grazia Loparco of the Pontifical Faculty of Sciences of Auxilium Education, Paul Oberholzer of the Gregorian University and Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Director of the Yad Vashem International Holocaust Research Institute. The search was coordinated by Dominik Markl (Pontifical Biblical Institute and University of Innsbruck) together with the Rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Canadian Jesuit Michael Kolarcik.
Rome was occupied by the Nazis for nine months, starting on 10 September 1943 until the allied forces liberated the city on June 4, 1944. In that period, the persecution of the Jews determined, among other things, the deportation and killing of nearly 2,000 people, including hundreds of children and adolescents, from a community of about 10,000 - 15,000.
The documentation found was compiled by the Italian Jesuit Fr. Gozzolino Birolo between June 1944 and the spring of 1945, immediately after the liberation of Rome. Birolo was treasurer of the Pontifical Institute Biblical from 1930 until his death from cancer in June 1945. Rector of the Institute in this period is was the Jesuit Fr. Augustin Bea, who was created cardinal in 1959 and became known for his commitment to the Jewish-Catholic dialogue, above all for the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate.
The historians involved in the study of the new documents are Claudio Procaccia, Director of the Department Culture of the Jewish Community of Rome, Grazia Loparco of the Pontifical Faculty of Sciences of Auxilium Education, Paul Oberholzer of the Gregorian University and Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Director of the Yad Vashem International Holocaust Research Institute. The search was coordinated by Dominik Markl (Pontifical Biblical Institute and University of Innsbruck) together with the Rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Canadian Jesuit Michael Kolarcik.
Rome was occupied by the Nazis for nine months, starting on 10 September 1943 until the allied forces liberated the city on June 4, 1944. In that period, the persecution of the Jews determined, among other things, the deportation and killing of nearly 2,000 people, including hundreds of children and adolescents, from a community of about 10,000 - 15,000.
Sources: https://www.biblico.it/archivio/com-stampa-rifugiati-ITA.pdf and Vatican News - Image Source: Pixabay from Auschwitz
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