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Ekev - Deut. 7-12/11-25
Following the tensions that characterized the April 25, 2026, celebrations, the UCEI deemed it appropriate to open a discussion forum with the ANPI. This was a complex process, not without its challenges, requiring several meetings and intense discussion among the delegations led by the UCEI President, the Councilor for Communications, and the two Vice Presidents.
The joint statement represents the first concrete result of this work. We are satisfied with the outcome and hope that the commitments made will be translated into concrete terms during the April 25, 2027, celebrations, ensuring full, safe, and respectful participation for the Jewish community.
It is important to emphasize that the UCEI did not undertake this process to request a concession or authorization to participate in the Liberation celebrations. The presence of Italian Jews on April 25th is not a benevolent concession, but stems from the fundamental contribution they, together with the Jewish Brigade, made to the fight against Nazism and Fascism.
The guiding principle throughout the negotiations was therefore to reaffirm a historic right and role: to ensure that the scope for Jewish participation does not continue to shrink, as has unfortunately occurred in recent years, but that Jews can once again be protagonists in the Liberation celebrations, as they have always been.
The statement reiterates essential principles such as the value of anti-fascism as a foundation of the Constitution, the condemnation of all forms of violence, racism, and discrimination, recognition of the role of Jewish fighters and the Jewish Brigade in the Resistance, and the right of the Jewish community to participate in the April 25th celebrations in safety. While we recognize that there are still issues on which differing positions exist, the choice to prioritize discussion represents an important signal and an investment in the future of shared memory.
Sara Levi Sacerdotti
Given the serious tensions that arose during the demonstrations of April 25, 2026, the leaders of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) and the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI) recently met to reopen dialogue between the parties on issues of vital importance to Italian democracy and civil society. The UCEI and ANPI found significant points of convergence on these issues;
– the current value of anti-fascism as the foundation of the Italian Constitution
– the condemnation of any act of violence, wherever it originates, and of any form of racism and discrimination without distinction of sex, language, religion, political opinion, personal and social conditions (art. 3 of the Constitution)
– the reaffirmation of the role of Jewish fighters in the Resistance and of the Jewish Brigade in the Italian fight against Nazism and Fascism
– the reconfirmation of the right of the Jewish component to participate in safety in the April 25th celebrations by opposing divisive choices and behaviors of any nature and from any side
– the general commitment to lower the tone of public debate and the desire to address through direct debate even the issues on which they disagree
– the interest in starting a joint process in view of the organization of the next April 25, 2027 and any other memorial deadlines.
