Italian Auschwitz survivor and senator target of 200 antisemitic messages every day
Born in 1930 into a Jewish family in Milan, Liliana Segre was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 13. She was made senator for life in 2018.
By ROSSELLA TERCATINItalian Holocaust survivor and senator for life Liliana Segre(photo credit: DANIEL REICHEL/PAGINE EBRAICHE)
Italian Holocaust survivor and Senator for life, Liliana Segre, 89, is the target of about 200 online antisemitic messages and threats every day, the Rome-based daily La Repubblica reported on Saturday. “This dirty Jew is called Liliana Segre. Ask yourselves what the f**k she did to be paid by us and she is pro-invasion [of migrants]? Hitler, you did not do your job well,” read one of the messages. “I wonder why you did not drop dead like all your relatives,” read another. The information revealed by La Repubblica is included in a special report produced by the Foundation Jewish Contemporary Documentation Center (CDEC) in Milan. Born in 1930 into a Jewish family in Milan, Segre was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 13.
For the past 30 years, she has been one of the more active witnesses of the Holocaust, speaking to thousands of schools and groups all over Italy. In January 2018, she was appointed senator for life by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella. A life tenure appointment in the Senate can be granted by the president “for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field.” Since she took the position, Segre has become one of the most well-known and appreciated public figures in Italy, working tirelessly to promote not only Holocaust remembrance but also a message of tolerance and solidarity. Many representatives of the Italian authorities and political party leaders expressed their support for Segre and concern over the alarming report. “We need to pass measures to fight hate speech at every level, in the public debate and on social media,” said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, pledging to invite all political forces to join the endeavor. “When democracy becomes more fragile, the voices of the virus [of antisemitism] acquire new strength,” Segre warned, speaking to the evening news on the TV channel Rai Uno.
