✈️ Too Little, Too Late: Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy's Apology to Italian Jewish Population

As the world marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a significant event in the history of the Holocaust, a member of the Italian royal family has issued a televised apology to the Jewish population of Italy. This apology, written by Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, grandson of King Umberto II and great-grandson of King Vittorio Emanuele III, is a long-awaited acknowledgment of the family's involvement in the racial laws of 1938, which targeted and persecuted Italian Jews.

Too Little, Too Late? The apology comes decades after the events, and many are left wondering if this belated acknowledgment is truly a genuine attempt at reconciliation or merely a public relations move. The apology itself is a solemn declaration, condemning the racial laws and dissociating the Royal House of Savoy from the actions of King Vittorio Emanuele III. It remains to be seen whether this apology will bring closure to the affected families or simply serve as a hollow gesture of regret[1].

what is the significance of emanuele filiberto of savoy's apology to the italian jewish population

Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy's apology to the Italian Jewish population holds significant historical and symbolic value. As the great-grandson of King Vittorio Emanuele III, who signed the 1938 racial laws, Emanuele Filiberto's apology represents a belated acknowledgment of the Italian monarchy's involvement in the persecution of Jews during World War II. This apology is notable because it comes from a member of the royal family who was directly connected to the events and policies that led to the suffering and loss of thousands of Italian Jews.

what were the 1938 racial laws in italy

The 1938 racial laws in Italy, also known as the Racial Laws or Leggi Razziali, were a series of laws promulgated by the government of Benito Mussolini in Fascist Italy from 1938 to 1944. These laws were designed to enforce racial discrimination and segregation in the Kingdom of Italy. The main victims of these laws were Italian Jews and the African inhabitants of the Italian Empire. The first and most important of these laws was the Royal Decree of 17 November 1938, n. 1728, which restricted the civil rights of Italian Jews, banned books written by Jewish authors, and excluded Jews from public offices and higher education. Additional laws stripped Jews of their assets, restricted travel, and provided for their confinement in internal exile, as was done for political prisoners. These laws were part of a broader effort to implement racial segregation and discrimination in Italy, which was influenced by the rise of Nazi Germany and the increasing anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe. The laws were met with opposition from some Italian Fascists, including Italo Balbo, who regarded antisemitism as unrelated to fascism. The Racial Laws were enacted in the aftermath of the "Manifesto of Race," a purportedly scientific report signed by 180 Italian scientists and intellectuals that declared the Italians to be descendants of the Aryan race and targeted races seen as inferior, such as Jews and Africans. The laws were enforced until the end of World War II, when they were officially abolished in January 1944.

how did the italian jewish population respond to the 1938 racial laws

The Italian Jewish population responded to the 1938 Racial Laws with a mix of shock, fear, and resistance. The laws, which targeted and persecuted Italian Jews, were met with widespread disapproval and outrage from the Jewish community and many ordinary Italians. The laws were seen as a betrayal of the long-standing integration and acceptance of Jews in Italian society, where they had lived for centuries and had contributed significantly to the country's culture and economy. The Jewish community in Italy was small, numbering around 40,000 people in 1938, and was deeply integrated into modern Italian society and culture. Many Italian Jews were well-established in their professions, and some had even held prominent positions in government and academia. The Racial Laws, therefore, not only targeted a vulnerable minority but also challenged the very fabric of Italian society and its values. In response to the laws, many Italian Jews went into hiding, and some were forced into internal exile. The laws also led to a significant increase in anti-Semitic violence and hate crimes, which further exacerbated the sense of fear and insecurity among the Jewish population. Despite the challenges and dangers, the Italian Jewish community continued to resist the Racial Laws through various means. Some Jews actively participated in the Italian Resistance against the Fascist regime, while others maintained secret networks and communication channels to help each other survive and evade persecution. The Racial Laws also led to a significant increase in international support for the Italian Jewish community. The laws were widely condemned by the international community, and many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, issued statements denouncing the persecution of Italian Jews. Overall, the Italian Jewish population responded to the 1938 Racial Laws with a combination of resilience, resistance, and international support, which ultimately contributed to the eventual abolition of the laws and the defeat of the Fascist regime.

Benito Mussolini and King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy.

Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy.

Last week, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, grandson of King Umberto II of Italy and great-grandson of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, issued a televised apology based on a letter he wrote to the Jewish population of Italy:

I am writing to you with an open heart a letter that is certainly not easy, a letter that may surprise you and that perhaps you did not expect. Yet know that for me it is very important and necessary, because I believe that, once and for all, the time has come to come to terms with the History and the past of the Family that I am here today to represent, in the name of that Royal House that contributed significantly to the unification of Italy, a name that I proudly bear. 

 

I am writing to you, Jewish brothers, on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a symbolic date chosen in 2000 by the Parliament of the Italian Republic, to commemorate the perpetual memory of a tragedy that saw six million European Jews perish at the hands of the Nazi-Fascist madness, including 7,500 of our Italian brothers and sisters. To these sacred Italian victims, I today wish to officially and solemnly ask for forgiveness on behalf of my whole family. I decided to take this step, a duty for me, so that the memory of what happened remains alive, so that the memory is always present. 

 

I condemn the racial laws of 1938, of which still today I feel all the weight on my shoulders and with me the whole Royal House of Savoy and I solemnly declare that we do not recognize ourselves in what Vittorio Emanuele III did: a painful signature, from which we dissociate ourselves firmly, an unacceptable document, an indelible shadow for my family, a wound still open for the whole of Italy. I condemn the racial laws in memory of my glorious ancestor King Carlo Alberto who on 29 March 1848 was among the first sovereigns of Europe to give Italian Jews full equality of rights. 

 

I condemn the racial laws in memory of the numerous Italian Jews who fought with great courage on the battlefields of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as true Patriots. I condemn the signing of the racial laws in memory of the visit to the new Synagogue in Rome that my great-grandfather Vittorio Emanuele III made in 1904, after which on 13 January of the same year he said he was in favour of the birth of the Jewish state and he expressed himself: "Jews, for us, are Italians, in all respects." I want history not to be erased, history not to be forgotten, and history always has the opportunity to tell what happened to all those who desire the truth. The victims of the Holocaust must never be forgotten and for this reason, even today, they cry out to us their desire to be rightly remembered. 

 

Even my House suffered personally, albeit for political reasons, and was deeply wounded in the dearest affections: how could we forget the tragic end of my aunt Mafalda of Savoy, who died on 28 August 1944 in the Buchenwald concentration camp after terrible agony? How could I forget that my aunt Maria of Savoy was also deported with her husband and two of their children to a concentration camp near Berlin? Both were also daughters of the same Vittorio Emanuele III. 

 

I am writing to you, Jewish brothers, with vivid and profound emotion in the stabbing memory of the sweep of the Ghetto which took place on 16 October 1943. I am writing to you Jewish brothers, in the anguished memory of the too many victims that our beloved Italy lost. I am writing to you this letter of mine, sincerely felt and desired, which I address to the whole Italian community, to retie those unfortunately broken threads, so that it may be a first step towards that dialogue that today I wish to resume and follow personally. 

 

With all my sincere brotherhood,

 

Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia

Front page of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on 11 November 1938: 

"The laws for the defence of the race approved by the Council of ministers."

 

The first and most impactful of the Leggi Razziali (Racial Laws) was the Regio Decreto of 17 November 1938. This decree restricted the civil rights of Italian Jews, banned their books, and excluded them from public office and higher education. Additional laws stripped Italian Jews of their assets, restricted travel, and allowed for their confinement as political prisoners.

The Jewish Community of Rome issued the following statement after learning of Emanuele Filiberto's letter:

What happened with the racial laws, at the height of a long collaboration with a dictatorship, is an offence to Italians, Jews and non-Jews, which cannot be erased and forgotten.

The silence on these facts of the descendants of that house, which lasted more than eighty years, is a further aggravating circumstance. The descendants of the victims have no authority to forgive and it is not up to Jewish institutions to rehabilitate people and facts whose historical judgment is engraved in the history of our country.

Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy with his parents, Vittorio Emanuele and Marina.

 

In 2007, Emanuele Filiberto and his father Vittorio Emanuele initiated a request that the Italian government pay them financial damages of 260 million euros well as grant them restitution of all properties and assets that had been confiscated from the Royal House of Savoy after the abolition of the monarchy. Their claim of financial damages was centred on their having suffered "moral injustice" during exile. The Italian government rejected their request.

For more coverage of this story, please visit this article: 'Too little, too late': Dethroned Italian prince criticized over apology for King's role in rubber-stamping fascist laws

 

As we conclude our exploration of the article "Too Little, Too Late: Response to Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy's Apology to Italian Jewish Population," we are reminded of the significance of acknowledging and learning from the past. The apology, though belated, serves as a crucial step towards healing and reconciliation. It is essential to recognize that the wounds of the Holocaust and the Italian racial laws still linger, and that the descendants of the victims have the right to demand justice and acknowledgment. The article highlights the importance of remembering and honoring the victims of the Holocaust, including the 7,500 Italian Jews who perished during World War II. It is crucial that we continue to educate ourselves and future generations about the atrocities committed during this period, so that we may prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

As we move forward, it is crucial that we prioritize the preservation of history and the promotion of tolerance and understanding. The article serves as a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of racism and xenophobia. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the lessons of the past are not forgotten and that we continue to work towards a world where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. The apology, though late, is a crucial step towards healing and reconciliation. It is our hope that this apology will serve as a catalyst for further dialogue and understanding between the Italian royal family and the Jewish community, and that it will inspire others to follow suit in acknowledging and making amends for past wrongs. By doing so, we can work towards a brighter future where the horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated.

what was the purpose of the article "too little, too late: response to emanuele filiberto of savoy's apology to italian jewish population"

The purpose of the article "Too Little, Too Late: Response to Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy's Apology to Italian Jewish Population" is to critically analyze and discuss the significance of Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy's televised apology to the Italian Jewish community for his ancestor's role in rubber-stamping Mussolini's fascist policies and the Holocaust. The article examines the timing and sincerity of the apology, as well as its reception by historians and Jewish groups, who have criticized it as being "too little, too late." The article aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the historical context and the implications of the apology, highlighting both its potential for healing and reconciliation and its limitations in addressing the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on the Italian Jewish community.