At the beginning of the Second World War, the Jewish community of Gorizia was also involved in both protecting ceremonial objects and requisitioning metalware for war purposes. As early as 11 June 1940, a few days after Italy's entry into the war, Dante Almansi (1877-1949), president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, reminded local communities of the need to place ceremonial objects, as well as precious materials from libraries, museums and archives, where they might be safe from enemy air raids. On 18 June 1940, the president of the Jewish community of Gorizia, Attilio Morpurgo (1878-1965), replied that he had already managed to preserve them.
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Letter from Attilio Morpurgo to the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities, 18 June 1940
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Morpurgo also asked for information about the requisitioning of iron or metal gating for military use and the opportunity to voluntarily disclose ownership of the metal fencing around the local Jewish cemetery (now Slovenia, Roža Dolina). Almansi answered from Rome that these gates and railings could not be confiscated because the cemetery was deemed a place of worship.
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View of the Jewish cemetery of Gorizia (Roža Dolina)
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Detail of the gate of the Jewish cemetery of Gorizia (Roža Dolina)
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