THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, October 20, 1978 31
Heroic Priest Who Saved Jews Recalled in New Ramati Book
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
The city of Assissi, named
in - memory of St. Francis
of Assissi, the patron saint
553-2191
of Italy, has been regarded
by Italian Catholics as holy
as Rome and Jerusalem.
During the Nazi occupa-
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tion of Italy in World War II,
Assissi served as the coun-
try's counterfeiting center
of identity cards for Jewish
refugees and anti-fascists,
and as a hiding place for
hundreds of 'Jewish refu-
gees.,_
The story of Assissi's re-
scue work and resistance to
the Nazis is vividly and
movingly related by Ale-
xander Ramati in "The As-
sissi Underground," subti
tled "The Priest Who Re-
scued Jews" (Stein and
Day).
Padre Rufino Niccaci
was the priest who re-
scued 300 Jews and many
non-Jews. He was
entrusted by Cardinals
della Costa of Florence
and Giuseppe Placido
Nicolini of Assissi with
the counterfeiting opera-
tion and with the respon-
sibility of rescuing Jews.
The first group of refu-
gees Padre Rufino rescued
consisted of Polish, Hunga-
rian, Yugoslav, Viennese
and Italian Jews, among
whom there was a bearded
rabbi who carried in his
suitcase a Torah scroll he
had rescued from a Roman
synagogue.
Fearless were the anti-
Nazi activities of Padre
Rufino and his underground
associates. Thus the mayor
of Assissi defied the Nazis'
order to provide them with a
list of 12 Italian hostages
whom they would hold re-
sponsible for the city's law
and order. Instead_of com-
plying with the Nazi re-
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quest, the mayor resigned
from his position he had
held for over two decades.
Illuminating is this ver-
bal exchange between Car-
dinal della Costa and Padre
Rufino who wanted to know
why Pope Pius XII "didn't
make a statement condemn-
ing the Nazi persecution of
Jews." (A question that had
been bothering him for a
long time.)
The Cardinal ex-
plained, "You ought to
understand that the Vat,
ican is a state and the
Pope is also a politician, a
head of state ... Instead
of making meaningless
declarations that would
only antagonize the Ger-
mans, perhaps even
make them occupy • the
Vatican itself, he issued
orders --- to save Jewish
lives."
Padre Rufino then asked,
"And Your Eminence re-
ceived such an order?"
The Cardinal replied,
"The Pontiff could not issue
an express order. But we re-
ceived his message loud and
clear."
The Cardinal's answer
did not satisfy the Padre. He
could not understand, "Why
could not the Pontiff issue
an express order? Wasn't he
the most powerful man, St.
Peter's representative on
earth?"
As Assissi was begin-
ning to run out of hiding
places, it became evident
that some of the refugees
would have to be smug-
gled out of the country.
But who would be willing
to undertake such a danger-
ous and responsible task?
For that purpose, the
Padre went to the comman-
dant and told him, "A group
of Pilgrims from Pescocos-
tanzo are stranded here.
They came to celebrate
Christmas. But no trains
are running to Abruzzi and
we cannot obtain any ve-
hicles for them. Would it be
imposing if I asked you,
Colonel, whether you could
help us with a truck? His
Excellency the Lord Bishop
joins me in this request.
There are a few priests acid
an important church offi-
cial, a monsignore (a rabbi),
in that group. And I will be
going, too, since I have to
attend to some ecclesiasti-
cal business in Pescocos-
tanzo."
Unhesitatingly Padre
Rufmo volunteered to take
upon himself this responsi-
bility. He, moreover, de-
vised a plan that involved
Assissi's new German
commandant, a devout
Catholic, whom he had bef-
-riended.
The commandant con-
sented, and the mission
was successfully accom-
plished.
As the Allies were ad-
In 1860, Jews built the
first quarter outside the
walls of the Old City of
Jerusalem. In the 1860's,
two Hebrew periodicals
were regularly published in
Jerusalem, both calling for
a return to the Land.
vancing toward Assissi, the
Germans, who were deter-
mined to leave the city in
ruins, began to plant mines
under its most important
buildings. However, a Ger-
man Jewish refugee, (the
Germans did not suspect
him of being Jewish) who
was working for the
Wehrmacht, "forged a letter
from Kesselring declaring
Assissi an open city." He
thus saved it from destruc-
tion.
Incidentally, Field Mars-
hal Albert Kesselring was
Wehrmacht Commander-
in-Chief of the Southern
Command that also in-
cluded Assissi.
For making "a great con-
tribution to the rescue of
Italian Jews" Father Rufino
Niccaci was presented by
Italy's Jewish community
with a gold medal. In addi-
tion, he was awarded the
gold medal and the title of
"The Righteous Gentile"
the highest honor the State
of Israel can bestow on a
Christian.
It is well to remember
that the Italians saved 80
percent of Italy's Jews.
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