Italian Jews in the Great War

The First World War was a crucial event in the history of the identity of Italian Jews.
After centuries of being confined within ghettos and excluded from the rest of society, this was an opportunity for the Jewish minority to actively participate in the defense of their homeland and play a leading role in healthcare at the front.
To explore this topic further, the MEIS is hosting an online event, scheduled for Thursday, March 26, at 6:30 PM on Zoom. This event will feature the presentation of two volumes: “Bruno Pisa. A Story Told,” edited by Stefano Chierici, Donato Bragatto, and Enrico Trevisani (promoted by the Pico Cavalieri Ferrara Cultural Association for Historical Research) and “The Contribution of the Jews to Healthcare on the Front of the Great War,” edited by Rosanna Supino and Daniela Roccas (Zamorani Editore).
The first volume will lead us on a journey to discover the story of Bruno Pisa, a Jewish officer from Ferrara and a second lieutenant in the 425th Machine Gun Company. As a young law student, Pisa volunteered to become an infantry officer. A choice he pursued despite his family’s opposition, born of a profound personal conviction and a worldview that we will rediscover through his letters. And it is precisely through his letters that the context in which Pisa grew emerges, as well as the dense network of friendships and relationships with members of the local Jewish community: from the Ravenna, Minerbi, and Bassani families to the renowned engineer Ciro Contini.
The second volume examines the various aspects of Jewish contributions to healthcare in the Italian army during the First World War: from the presence of highly esteemed doctors (including Alessandro Lustig, Giuseppe Levi, Guido Aronne Mendes, Enrico Modigliani, and Marco Levi Bianchini), to the participation of many Jews as volunteers in the Italian army, and of others, then subjects of the empire (such as Edoardo Weiss and Giulio Ascoli from Trieste), on the opposing side. Some chapters recall the scientific innovations employed during the conflict and the commitment to healthcare education. There’s no shortage of data and reflections on the parallel experiences of French, Austro-Hungarian, and German Jews in those years, and an analysis of the presence of women.
Greetings from Amedeo Spagnoletto, Director of MEIS
Speakers:
Stefano Chierici, Donato Bragatto ed Enrico Trevisani
Rosanna Supino, Elena Branca e Daniela Roccas

FOR REGISTRATIONS

The Zoom link will be sent to attendees on the day of the event. If you don’t receive it, please check your spam folder. If you still don’t receive the link, please email ufficio.stampa@meisweb.it