Tribute to Giovanni Palatucci, the police commissioner of Fiume who saved 5,000 Jews and died in 1945 in the Dachau concentration camp
The Questura di Pisa celebrated Giovanni Palatucci, police commissioner of Fiume who died in Dachau on 10 February 1945, with a commemoration held in the Aula Magna of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. Palatucci was Regent of the Rijeka Police Headquarters until 13 September 1944, the day of his arrest by Nazi SS units, which was followed by his transfer to the Dachau concentration camp. Before being arrested, Giovanni Palatucci had helped save at least 5,000 Jewish people from the concentration camps. For these actions, the State of Israel has included him among the 'Righteous Among the Nations' since 1990.
The commemoration was attended by the Fibonacci Comprehensive Institute of Pisa. Speakers included rector Sabina Nuti, police commissioner Gaetano Bonaccorso, Jewish Community representative Servi Shay, Scuola Sant'Anna honor student representative Valerio Cancian. The ceremony ended with the laying of a wreath at the foot of the olive tree planted in memory of Palatucci in the Scuola Sant'Anna garden.
The statements
"Memory only makes sense if it is passed on from generation to generation. Remembering figures such as Palatucci is a way through which the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna keeps this thread that unites past, present and future alive" comments Sabina Nuti, Rector of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna.
"Palatucci is an example of the ethical sense that must be present not only in every police officer, but in every person. Palatucci's story also teaches us the centrality of memory and history. We must treasure it also in the present time" comments Gaetano Bonaccorso, police commissioner of Pisa.
"The Shoah is a tragedy for the whole of humanity. It is essential to remember those who, like Palatucci, did not remain indifferent to this inhumanity and risked their own lives to save others. Palatucci chose to defend the weakest, the persecuted, the discriminated against. His moral testament must be a warning for future generations" explains Servi Shay, representative of the Jewish community of Pisa.
