Thank you to @Lisa1LinenLady for sharing with me the story of her late father. For me, it is a cautionary tale which illustrates why the state of Israel can never be relinquished.
Settimio Fernando Terracina was the light heavyweight boxing champion of Italy, 1934-1936.
Because they were Jewish, he and the other Jewish members of the Italian boxing team were expelled from the team and refused permission to participate in the 1936 Olympics.
Because he was Jewish, Mr. Terracina was kicked out of the Italian Army & told that he should leave because he didn't have a country. He was told to go somewhere where they want Jews.
When I heard this story, I could only think of one thing to say: Never again.
(Epilogue: Mr. Terracina managed to move to the United States. He subsequently enlisted in the US army, and fought against the German Nazis and Italian Fascists in Anzio)
@Lisa1LinenLady 's personal collection of photos & notes on Twitpic:
http://twitpic.com/f7luo
http://twitpic.com/f7mzb
http://twitpic.com/f7jqz
Dear Ray,
ReplyDeleteThank You for honoring my father. I am now, one step closer to telling the full story of my father as I have been contacted by the Shoah Memorial Foundation in Europe to help facilitate an exhibit honoring the Athletes of the Holocaust this November 2012 in Bologna, Italy. Here are some more pictures that I have assembled on my FB page which I thought you might enjoy: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4191613264883.2171748.1121171770&type=3&l=64abc8d33b