I Giusti e la Shoah: difficoltà e prospettive di ricerca. Il caso di Angelo De Fiore negli anni dell’occupazione nazista a Roma

Abstract

This essay intends to highlight the role of the figure of the “Righteous Among the Nations” in the study of the Shoah. Many historians, in fact, argue that emphasizing their function could have the effect of weakening the memory of the victims by assigning the full and total responsibility for the genocide solely to the Nazis. On the contrary, what needs to be taken into consideration is that they were not necessarily “flawless and fearless heroes” but ordinary men and women in whom fear and courage coexisted. Therefore, studying their biographies can help us better understand how and why many European societies significantly contributed to their persecution. This becomes particularly evident through the analysis of an Italian Righteous, Commissioner Angelo De Fiore, head of the foreigners’ office of the police headquarters in Rome. De Fiore, despite being engaged since the beginning of 1939 in helping Jews in various ways, especially foreigners, had to defend himself in court against the accusation of collaboration with Nazis and the Fascist regime.