Author Stops in Malverne to Share Holocaust Survival Stories

“It all started with a picture,” explained Elizabeth Bettina, author of "It Happened in Italy," a book that explores the Jewish people who survived the Holocaust and the Italians who risked their lives to help save them.

Bettina discussed her book during the March edition of the  television show "Page Turners."

Bettina grew up in Jericho and attended Smith College where she received a degree in Italian and Economics.  While growing up, she spent her summers from the age of 10 to 18 years old in Campagna, a village located in Southern Italy, where her family is from.

Bettina’s discovery occurred six years ago when she returned to Italy to visit her family. One night when she was having pizza, a gentleman told the story of when Jewish people were Campagna and showed everyone a picture of an Orthodox Rabbi.

The picture was part of an Italian research paper and Bettina read it on the way back to New York.

“I wanted to turn the plane around," Bettina recalled, explaining that the paper left her wanting to know about the Jewish people who were saved in Italy during World War II.

She was aware that some were saved in her village, but to her “some” were maybe five or 10, not 1,000.

To finding this information, Bettina set out on an unplanned journey, meeting the survivors of the Italian Concentration Camps, going to Rome and meeting the Pope.

Bettina discovered that Campagna was not the only village in Italy that had helped save Jews who were being persecuted. There were many other camps in Italy and statistics show that 32,000 Jews were saved in Italy, however, 8,000 died.

She explained that the Italian camps were not like the typical German concentration camps that we all have learned about. Within the Italian camps, there were schools, children played soccer, Jewish people were allowed to pray and in some camps, people were able to get married. However, Bettina stressed that since there was a war going on, there was rationing and if the Jewish people did not get something than the Italians did not get it either.

Italians risked their lives tyring to save Jews that were being persecuted.

"In the end 80 percent of Jewish people in Italy were saved, rather than in the rest of Europe where 80 percent of Jewish people died," she said.

As her research continued, she met survivors of the Italian camps by accident. Bettina explained that while in Nashville for a party, and met someone who was in Italy during World War II and was a survivor.  

“Sometimes things just happen," she said. "Someone knows somebody who knows somebody."

Many of the survivors featured in Bettina’s book are from our area. Walter Wolff, a former Long Beach resident, toured the country and spoke about his experience in Southern Italian Camps, including one in Campagna. Another survivor, Walter Klienman, lives in Huntington, and discussed his story of survival and finding his “milk brother.” There are so many people that Bettina met and continues to meet that tell her their story of being in Italy during the Holocaust.

Bettina is also working with Vincent Marmorale, resident of Rockville Centre, on a documentary, which also focuses on the survivors, their stories and how the Italians helped save their lives.

"Finally someone told the story that needs to be told," one of the survivors told Bettina.

 "It is a privilege to have these survivors as my friends and it is a privilege to tell their story," stated Bettina.

You can watch this month's episode of "Page Turners" on Malverne TV (Cablevision Channel 18 or Verizon Fios Channel 30.) To view the episode on-line click here.

The has two copies of "It Happened in Italy" available to cardholders. 

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