by EH
In a poignant ceremony set to take place on Sunday, January 28, the Risiera di San Sabba, a national monument and the sole Nazi extermination camp in Italy, will stand as the focal point of commemorations for Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day, dedicated to remembering the fall of the gates of Auschwitz and the genocide and persecution of the Jewish people, as well as Italian military and political deportees in Nazi camps, will be marked by various events.
The day kicks off at 9 a.m. with the laying of a wreath by the Police Headquarters and the national association “Giovanni Palatucci” at the plaque in Coroneo Prison commemorating Palatucci’s imprisonment. Following that, at 9:30 a.m., a silent march organized by the National Association of Former Deportees will commence from the prison and extend to the railway station. At 10 a.m., a wreath from the Municipality of Trieste will be laid at the plaque on Flavio Gioia Street, marking the departure point of trains that transported deportees to Germany from September 1943 to February 1945.
The traditional ceremony at Risiera di San Sabba at 11 a.m. will feature speeches from institutional and political authorities. The tribute will commence with the laying of a wreath in memory of the victims by the Prefect of Trieste Pietro Signoriello, the Governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia Massimiliano Fedriga, and the Mayor of Trieste Roberto Dipiazza.
Among the speakers are Mayor Dipiazza and Mayor Tanja Kosmina of Monrupino, representing smaller municipalities. Religious ceremonies will be conducted by Bishop Enrico Trevisi for the Catholic community, Chief Rabbi Paul Alexandre Meloni for the Jewish community, Father Raško Radovic for the Serbian Orthodox community, Archimandrite Grigorius Miliaris for the Greek Eastern community, and Pastor Peter Ciaccio for the Adventist, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Methodist communities.
The ceremony will include the flags of the City of Trieste and the City of Muggia, both decorated for military valor, along with the flags of the Region and the Municipalities of Duino Aurisina and San Dorligo della Valle.
In addition to civil, military, and religious authorities, representatives and banners of organizations for deported and anti-fascist political persecuted individuals, partisans, freedom volunteers, fallen heroes, weapon associations, and unions will be present. The International Committee of the Nazi camp at Risiera di San Sabba will also be represented.
Addressing the issue of capacity, a new plan has been implemented to manage the ceremony efficiently and avoid the problems faced on April 25th, where hundreds were excluded due to a limit of 600 attendees. The new maximum capacity inside the former camp during the ceremony is set at 2,200. An electronic counting system with displays at the entrance will provide real-time information on the number of people inside. Once the 2,200 limit is reached, no further entries will be allowed, and attendees will need to wait for someone to exit. External space management will be handled by law enforcement, with Palatucci Street closed to traffic from the intersection with Rio Primario Street to the entrance of the parking lot next to Risiera.
