The civilization of the Holocaust in Italy: poets, artists, saints, anti-Semites

Abstract

This book studies the persecution of Italian Jews during the Fascist period in relation to the Italian cultural tradition. It shows that Mussolini's anti-Semitic laws and Italian support for Hitler's war on the Jews stem directly from beliefs deeply embedded in Italian culture. After studying anti-Judaic characterizations in the Christian tradition and representations of Jews by Dante and other Medieval and Renaissance authors, the book shows how the anti-Semitic tradition became reinvigorated in the nineteenth century. In the second half of the book, the focus is on three leading anti-Semitic cultural figures in the period between 1900 and 1940: the writer Giovanni Papini, the Catholic educational leader Agostino Gemelli, and the artist and critic Ardengo Soffici. The book then examines Mussolini's specific anti-Semitic policies and argues that the Italian cultural system contributed to generating the evil that led to the Holocaust. Wiley Feinstein is Associate Professor of Italian at Loyola University Chicago.