Article by Serena Di Nepi

The comments, that were made by the Minister for Equal Opportunities in the Meloni government questioning school trips to Auschwitz, have reignited an old debate about the memory of the Shoah in the Italian public sphere. Serena Di Nepi, a historian specializing in the Jewish diaspora, explains why she has never taken part in these “ Remembrance Trips,” even though they have become a central civic ritual. Between family history, intimate transmission, and institutional ceremony, she explores the profound disconnect between Jewish memory and national memory, and how Judaism continues to express itself in Italy outside of official commemorative frameworks.