Lot 1084

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PROTECTING ITALIAN JEWS DURING THE HOLOCAUST
An interesting archive of material from Italy, three cases spanning 1930-1942 in which Jews appealed for Italian citizenship and won it despite the State's official adoption of racial laws and Nazi ideology. Citing that notions of racial segregation and racial purity adopted by Italy during World War II were actually foreign concepts in Italy, contemporary scholarship indicates that Italy's neutral attitude towards Jews accounts for the relatively high number of survivors. Furthermore, it indicates that the Fascist state's persecution of Jews was comparatively mild, and also that armed forces, civilians and church officials protected Jews throughout the war despite the institutionalization of anti-Semitism in a series of laws enacted in the late 1930s. The first law of Sept. 5, 1938 prohibited Jews from sending their children to secular schools or be employed in any Italian school from kindergarten to university. A Nov. 15, 1938 law followed, removing all books by Jewish authors from public and private schools. Finally, puppet King Vittorio Emanuele II passed the Royal Decree Law of November 17, 1938, a sweeping set of articles forbidding intermarriage of Jews and "Aryans", setting forth policies of segregation, removing civil rights from Jews and, perhaps most importantly, revoking Italian citizenship granted to any Jew after 1919. Some historians suggest that the instatement of these laws had more to do with Mussolini's quest to reinvigorate Fascism through strengthening bonds with Nazi Germany and giving validity to Axis through the demonstration of a shared racial ideology rather than a deep-seated belief in anti-Semitism; still the effects of the Decree was profound with nearly one quarter of the Italian Jewish population was immediately lost through conversion and emigration. Some of the Italian population appear to not have been particularly moved to adopt the State's attitude towards Jews despite these laws, but there were many others who supported Mussolini and Hitler to the end. The strange intermingling of legally enforced anti-Semitism and simultaneously culturally neutral attitudes towards Jews of Italian citizenship is clearly expressed within this archive. Comprising 14pp. of documents and letters, it pertains to three individual citizenship requests made by Jews before, during and after the institution of the Royal Decree. The first pair of documents predates the official adoption of Nazi racial policies and concerns the case of Czechoslovakia-born Jew Maria-Stefania Vanblebsky-Sterneck who wishes to marry an Italian diplomat. She writes, in a T.L.S. directed to Benito Mussolini, 2pp. legal folio, Opava, Jan. 10, 1932, that - urged by a priest - she wishes to express "...from the depth of my heart an ardent plea...I was born from an aristocratic family of Baron Maurizio Daublebsky Sterneck...and Baronness Maria Salvadori di Viesenhof...I know Italy and love it; I speak the language correctly [and here names a number of individuals who will recommend her]...I have renounced my Czech citizenship...", and concludes by begging Mussolini to allow a marriage that will allow "...for the restitution of our fortune". With a following T.L.S. off PIETRO TACCHI VENTURI, Jesuit priest who served as an unofficial liaison between the Pope and Mussolini, 2pp. 4to., Rome, Jan. 15, 1932, to Mussolini asking for his approval, which we understand was granted. The second group dates from the seminal years 1938-39, and pertains to the request for the continuation of citizenship made by Dr. Amerigo Nugel, a psychiatrist and Jew from Romania. The seven documents include: an A.L.S. of Nugel's wife, Anita Pepi Nugel, to the wife of Mussolini, Rachele Mussolini, 2pp. legal folio, Siena, Sept. 5, 1938, making an appeal on behalf of her husband as an "...Italian Catholic...daughter of a government official. I have been married for five years to a naturalized Italian citizen...who came to Italy to study...obtained citizenship in 1933", and asks for her assistance. In a following A.L.S. to Minister of the Interior, GUIDO BUFFARINI on Nov. 2, 1938, she informs him that she had written to Mussolini's wife and explains that her husband is "...from a family Ungherese, brother of an official combatant in the Great War...he came to Italy because of his admiration of Fascism...", and soon. She writes a third letter, an A.L.S. on Nov. 15, 1938, also to Buffarini, this time signing with her husband's name and further explaining the occasion of his residency in Italy. With a partly-printed L.S. 1p. 4to., Nov. 18, 1938 from NICOLA DECESARE, personal secretary to Mussolini, to the commission for Italian Citizenship noting that Mussolini had accepted Nugel's request and that he signed a letter to that effect; partly-printed D.S. 1p. legal folio, Jan. 1, 1939 from the Commission stating that Nugel can remain in the country; a partly-printed D.S. 1p. legal folio, [n.d.], to the Prefect of the City of Siena confirming Nugel's citizenship, and a final partly-printed D.S. 1p. 4to., Siena, Mar. 17, 1939 signed by the Prefect of Siena stating: "I communicated to the Jew that he can stay in Italy". The third group comprises five documents pertaining to the request to renew citizenship made by Francioni Nair after it was revoked following a divorce. The first, typed D.S. signed by LEANDRO ARPINATI, Italian anarchist and friend of Mussolini, 1p. legal folio, Rome, Dec. 6, 1930, restoring her citizenship; a T.L.S. of Nair, 3pp. 4to., Roma, Oct. 22, 1941, to Mussolini begging him to restore her citizenship after the Royal Decree revoked it; an A.L.S. 1p. 4to., Rome, Nov. 30, 1941, from Father Veneslao of the "Sacra Congregato de Seminariis et Studiorum Universitatibus", on behalf of Nair; a T.L.S. 1p. 4to., Rome, Dec. 4, 1941, from the head of the police to Antonio La Pera, President of the Commission on Italian Citizenship, apprising him that Nair has petitioned Mussolini to restore her citizenship; and finally, a partly-printed D.S. signed by King VITTORIO EMANUELE II, 2pp. legal folio, Rome, Sept. 10, 1942, granting Nair's citizenship. An interesting grouping, overall very good condition.

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June 4, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
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