On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, state Assemblyman Tony D’Urso (D-Long Island) will travel to a small synagogue in Naples, Italy, to be reunited with the descendants of a Jewish family that he helped hide from the Nazis as a little boy.
In 1944, the D’Urso family protected a large Jewish family from the Nazis in their hometown of Formia, Italy. While he was only a small boy, the future assemblyman was responsible for acting as a “lookout” and calling out to his mother when German soldiers were approaching.
D’Urso has been trying to locate this family since 1988. He was hopeful that his parents would be recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by the State of Israel and Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial organization and museum in Israel) because they risked their lives to protect their Jewish friends.
The application with Yad Vashem failed to gain traction, however, because D’urso lost touch with the Jewish family in the 1960s and he was informed that they had died.
He was told that without their assistance, corroborating the D’urso family’s involvement in the rescue was nearly impossible.
In 2017, with the help of Michael Weinstock, a Great Neck attorney and former prosecutor, D’urso learned of a diary in the National Archives of Italy.
That diary describes the extraordinary risks the D’urso family undertook to save their Jewish friends.
Weinstock used the techniques he learned at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office to locate the diary – along with Facebook and “google translator” to communicate with members of the Jewish community in Naples.
He received guidance from the staff of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
The upcoming reunion in Naples will include the descendants and extended family of Tommaso Sinigallia, the Holocaust survivor who wrote the diary.
A copy of the diary has been submitted to Yad Vashem for authentication and Assemblyman D’urso is cautiously optimistic that his parents and older siblings will soon be recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations.”
There is also a strong possibility that Mr. D’Urso will receive this extraordinary designation.
Should Yad Vashem approve his status, D’Urso will be the first elected official in the United States to be recognized with the title and receive the honorary Israeli citizenship that comes along with that honor.
Numerous elected officials and dignitaries have been invited to attend the ceremony in Naples, including the United States Ambassador to Italy and representatives from the Vatican. Dr. Mordecai Paldiel, the longtime director of Yad Vashem, may also attend.
On the morning of Jan. 26, 2018, D’Urso has accepted an invitation to address 500 local students at a special assembly at the Port of Naples.
The reunion will occur at the Naples synagogue at noon local time and a program will follow. D’Urso will give a speech in both English and Italian.
Call (516) 482-6966 for additional information.
