On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Embassy of Italy in Washington and the Italian consular network in the United States commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a comprehensive program of meetings and events in major U.S. cities, engaging various Sistema Italia (Italy’s institutional network) branches in the United States.
In Washington, the Italian Embassy organized a screening of the documentary film Liliana by Ruggero Gabbai, which explores the life of Italian Senator Liliana Segre. The event was held in collaboration with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the JxJ Jewish Film and Music Festival. Following its U.S. premiere in the nation’s capital, the film was also presented in Chicago and Los Angeles.
“We must never forget, because forgetting means allowing hatred and intolerance to take root in the shadows; it means allowing prejudice to grow unchecked, leading us down the same path of division and violence that we swore never to walk again. As the memory of the survivors fades with time, it is our responsibility to ensure that their voices are never silenced,” emphasized the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, during the screening.
In New York, the traditional commemoration took place, featuring the public reading of the names of Jews deported from Italy and Italian territories. Other significant events were held in Miami, where the U.S. edition of The Complete Works of Primo Levi was presented, as well as in San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Houston. The common thread throughout these initiatives was the importance of remembrance and the transmission of the Shoah’s legacy to future generations.