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The book studies the persecution of Italian Jews during the Fascist period in relation to the Italian cultural tradition. It argues that Mussolini’s anti-Semitic laws and Italian support for Hitler’s war on the Jews stem directly from beliefs deeply embedded in Italian culture. After studying anti-Judaic characterizations in the Christian tradition and representations of Jews by Dante and other Medieval and Renaissance authors, the book shows how the anti-Semitic tradition became reinvigorated in the nineteenth century. In the second half of the book, the focus is on three leading anti-Semitic cultural figures in the period between 1900-1940: the writer Giovanni Papini, the Catholic educational leader Agostino Gemelli, and the artist and critic Ardengo Soffici. The book then examines Mussolini’s specific antisemitic policies and argues that the Italian cultural system contributed to generating the evil that led to the Holocaust.

--An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies

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