The chief rabbi of the Italian city of Naples, Pierpaolo Pinhas Punturello, has snubbed the mayor, Rosa Russo Jervolino, by refusing to attend a city initiative to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
In a letter released to Adnkronos International (AKI), the religious leader of the Naples’ Jewish community said he was not welcome at a function on Monday after comments made by the mayor, Jervolino, on the Middle East several months ago.
“I will not meet our mayor since I will be at the University of Federico II for the presentation of the book, Judaism and Literature, an appointment that I made well before this, and as usual, the mayor’s invitation was late,” the letter said.
“Anyway, I don’t believe I could meet Jervolino calmly after last October, when he faced a peace delegation of Israeli-Palestinian guests hosted by our city, provincial and regional governments, when he compared the Middle East political situation to the Nazi occupation, confusing the victims whose vile execution we want to commemorate,” the letter said.
“I want the dead to rest in peace: for this I cannot meet those who are capable of such statements and I feel instead that it’s incumbent to mark this painful memory and persecution of my people with a book that records Jewish contribution to world literature.”
After the rabbi’s withdrawal, another leading member of the city’s Jewish community declined his invitation to the city event.
Fabrizio Gallichi, advisor to the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) announced he would not take part in the event accusing the Neopolitan council of failing to show solidarity to the Israeli people.
“We have never heard a single word of solidarity for the victims of the missiles from Gaza or Lebanon that were killing, and are killing, victims and renewing terror?” Gallichi said in a letter sent to the head of Naples’ Jewish community, Pier Luigi Campagnano.
As well as Monday’s event, Naples city council has organised two exhibitions on Nazi persecution to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
(Source: AKI)
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3 Responses
About time somebody stands up to these creeps.
There is admiration for those who can stand up for principles.
The Jews of Naples are proud Jews. I met some leaders of the community when they presented a Sefer Torah in Trani. I was there on a trip to buy boys suits for Borlams and changed my schedule to be part of the simcha. It did not dawn on the Jews of Naples that Trani, a suburb of Bari was 3 hours and hundreds of km away, young and old all showed up for the hachnosas Sefer Torah.