025 Catalyst Presents a Special 3 Part Series: Forgetting Fascism Part 2

In this special series, Dr Shira Klein dispels some powerful myths about the Jews of Italy. What was Jewish life like under Fascism? How did the Holocaust unfold in Italy? Uncover the story of the world’s oldest Jewish minority. In Part 1 we listened to what happened in Italy. Now listen to find out what people say happened. Oddly, Italy has gone down in history as the country that saved Jews, the “good Axis.”

Dr. Shira Klein is Associate Professor of History at Chapman University. Her book Italy’s Jews from Emancipation to Fascism (Cambridge University Press) was selected double-finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award. At Chapman, she teaches Jewish history, European history, and migration history. You can contact her at sklein@chapman.edu.

Sound editing: Katie Blasing and Julia Sirkin (Chapman ‘19). Sound credits: Killer Tracks.