Remembering the Tragic Deportation of Rome’s Jews to Auschwitz in 1943
As we reflect on history, Rome’s Jewish community gathered to commemorate the 81st anniversary of a dark chapter – the deportation of over 1,000 Jews to Auschwitz by the Nazis in October 1943.
On a fateful day, 16 October 1943, a raid in the Ghetto district sent shockwaves through the community. Two days later, a sealed train departed from Tiburtina station carrying 1,022 Roman Jews, among them 200 children, towards the horrors of Auschwitz.
Tragically, only 16 individuals, including 15 men and one woman named Settimia Spizzichino, survived the atrocities and made their way back to Rome. The last survivor, Lello Di Segni, passed away in Rome in 2018, leaving a somber legacy behind.
This year, on the anniversary, Rome’s Jewish community, along with Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Lazio governor Francesco Rocca, gathered in the Jewish Ghetto district to honor the memory of those lost. A wreath-laying ceremony served as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made and the lives forever changed.
As we pay tribute to the victims and survivors, let us never forget the atrocities committed and strive to create a world where such horrors can never repeat themselves.
A poignant plaque near the ceremony site bears witness to the tragedy, reminding us of the human cost of hatred and discrimination. It reads, in Italian, the heartbreaking story of Settimino Calò and his family, torn apart on that fateful day in 1943.
Photo credit: NICOLA MESSANA PHOTOS / Shutterstock.com.
