A silent procession unfolded through the streets of the centre of Livorno on 23 January commemorated the deportation of the city’s Jews. The procession made its way to the Synagogue, concluding with the speeches of civil and religious authorities and the lighting of the Chanukkà in memory of the Shoah victims.
During the procession, pauses were observed to lay two stumbling stones dedicated to Liliana Archivolti, a young teacher at the Jewish orphanage whose memory still lives on in the hearts of some of the children from that time, and her mother Elena della Torre.
The procession stopped along the route for the laying of two stumbling stones dedicated to Liliana Archivolti, a young teacher at the Jewish orphanage - who still lives on in the memory of some of the children of that time - and to her mother Elena della Torre.
The event, promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio for several years now, aims to commemorate the deportation of Livorno’s Jews that took place between December 1943 and January 1944. More than 200 people were sent to Auschwitz and only very few returned. It is significant that this year's event was more widely attended than in the past, a sign of the deep need for gestures of peace and reconciliation at a time so dramatically marked by war.
