This was an interview with Ursula Korn Selig, a Jew who lived in Italy during 1943, and her experience with hiding from German Nazis during the time of Mussolini’s fascist government. This focused on a first hand experience during Italy’s two faced disposition towards Jews. She speaks about how Italians saved her family from almost certain death in concentration camps by hiding them in secret shelters during the years 1938-1944. In 1935, Ursula moved to Italy with her mother to escape Nazi persecution. Her father came to Italy to visit the family and while he was there he was sent to a concentration camp. Ursula was advised to dress up as a nun with her mother to help disguise their identity and avoid Nazis. They were hidden in a local convent for months until Citta Di Castella was liberated by the British Army on July 14th, 1944. Ursula remained in Italy until 1949, when she moved to the United States and got happily married to her husband. She now lives in New York City and shares her story at Hidden Child Foundation of the Anti-Defamation League.
Ursula as a child pre-war
Ursula with friends
Ursula sharing her experience at the Hidden Child Foundation of the Anti-Defamation League
This interview was very interesting, especially since Ursula resides in New York City. I found her interview to be genuine and it really made me feel like I was reliving her wartime experiences. She quotes "I can say thank you many times, but it is never enough". This quote made me feel her humbling gratitude towards the Italians during the Holocaust and how they saved her life by hiding her during the Nazi persecutions.
N.A. “Scholars Reconsidering Italy’s Treatment of Jews in the Nazi Era”. The New York Times. Web. Monday, April 11, 2016. Web.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzc7C7RqDknrK5FXAJXjlA. "Ursula Selig - MY ITALIAN SECRET: The Forgotten Heroes." YouTube. YouTube, 2014. Web. 03 May 2016.
"Ursula Korn Selig." Italy And The Holocaust Foundation. Web. 03 May 2016.