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Leo
Baeck Institute London
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the Study of the History and Culture of German-speaking Jewry
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Frontier
of Hope Round Table Discussion chaired by Professor Peter Pulzer (Chairman of the LBI) on the occasion of the launch of the English translation of "Frontier of Hope" by Renata Broggini. Swiss Embassy , 11 May 2005 Unione Ticinese London, Leo Baeck Institute London Supported by Bank Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. (Switzerland) AG
7.00pm Welcome
address
Address by sponsor
Presentation of
the book in Italian (with translation) Discussion
8.30pm Cocktail reception
Frontier of Hope – Jews from Italy seek refuge in Switzerland 1943-1945 by Renata Broggini prefaces by Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin and Sergio Romano, Hoepli editore, Milano 1998/2003, 530 pages
Thousands of Italian Jews entered Switzerland secretly during the years of the German occupation of Italy (1943-1945), hoping to find refuge. The author of this book has reconstructed the dramatic vicissitudes of more than 500 of these refugees. Frontier of Hope consists of a selection of private documents, letters, diaries and pictures testifying what some of these protagonists experienced. Furthermore, there are distressing stories of Jewish refugees who were turned away at the frontier or were arrested in Italy before they could reach the border.
The exact number of Jewish refugees from Italy who succeeded or failed to save their lives at the Swiss borders will probably never be known. In this context, the book gives some 6000 names of those who were accepted and - based on the fragmentary nature of the information – at least 200 names of those who were rejected.
Renata Broggini, Swiss citizen, born in Locarno, has been working on the subject of Italians seeking refuge in Switzerland during World War II for a long time. On this subject, she has published I rifugiati italiani in Svizzera e il foglio “Libertà”. Antologia di scritti 1944-45 (1979), Terra d’asilo. I rifugiati italiani in Svizzera 1943-45 (1993) and Eugenio Balzan (1874-1953). Una vita per il “Corriere”, un progetto per l’umanità (2001).
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