by InTrieste
This Sunday morning, 18 new Stolpersteine, or stumbling stones, were installed across the city to commemorate Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The initiative, part of the lead-up to Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, was organized by Trieste’s Jewish Community, with support from the city government and the involvement of students from the Francesco Petrarca Classical and Linguistic High School.
The stones, designed by German artist Gunter Demnig, are small brass plaques embedded in the pavement in front of the last known residences of Holocaust victims. Each plaque bears the victim’s name, birth date, and date of deportation or death, serving as a poignant reminder of lives cut short by Nazi persecution.
This morning’s ceremonies began at 9:30 a.m. at Corso Italia 12 and continued at Via Cesare Beccaria 6, where stones were laid for three victims: siblings Emanuele Elia and Rosa Elia, and Rosa’s daughter, Enrichetta Baruch Polacco. Originally from Corfu, the three were among dozens of elderly residents taken by Nazi forces from the Gentilomo Jewish Hospice on January 20, 1944. Later that day, they were deported to Auschwitz, where they were killed upon arrival.
The stumbling stones project has grown into a widespread initiative across Europe, with over 90,000 stones installed since its inception in the 1990s. Sunday’s installations in Trieste were accompanied by solemn gatherings, during which members of the community reflected on the importance of remembrance and the dangers of forgetting such atrocities.
By marking the locations where these individuals once lived, the initiative aims to preserve their stories and honor their memory, offering a lasting reminder of the consequences of hatred and persecution.
Interview: FVG governor, Massimiliano Fedriga
