Tribute by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and the Questura di Pisa to Giovanni Palatucci, 'Righteous among the Nations', the Quaestor of Fiume who died in Dachau on 10 February 1945

The Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and the Questura di Pisa paid tribute to Giovanni Palatucci, Questore of Fiume (now Rijeka) who died in the Dachau concentration camp on 10 February 1945, with a commemoration held at the Scuola's main campus. Palatucci was Regent of the Questura di Fiume until 13 September 1944, the day of his arrest by the German SS, which was followed by his transfer to the Dachau concentration camp. Before his arrest, Giovanni Palatucci had helped save at least 5,000 Jewish people from the concentration camps. For these actions, since 1990 the state of Israel has included him among the "Righteous Among the Nations".

The commemoration, which ended with the laying of a wreath in front of the olive tree planted in memory of Palatucci in the garden of the Scuola Sant'Anna, was attended by the Rector Sabina Nuti, the Quaestor of Pisa Sebastiano Salvo, the Councillor for Schools and Educational Services of the Municipality of Pisa Riccardo Buscemi and the representative of the Jewish Community Federico Prosperi.

The statements

"The olive tree we have planted in honour of Giovanni Palatucci is in the centre of the Scuola, in a place where dozens of students pass by every day. It is a warning not to forget one of the most tragic pages of our history and to reflect on how important it was to have had figures like Palatucci,' says Sabina Nuti, Rector of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna.

"Giovanni Palatucci represents the strength and courage to not fall into line, to go against what was imposed on him in order to follow his own conscience and heart," comments Sebastiano Salvo, Questore of Pisa.

"Pisa is very sensitive to the theme of remembrance, as demonstrated by the three newly funded scholarships that will allow three students to take part in memory journeys to Dachau," comments Riccardo Buscemi, School Councillor of the Municipality of Pisa.

"Let the memory serve as a warning so that these things do not happen again. Giovanni Palatucci was not a hero but a normal person who, when faced with the crossroads of history, had the courage to defend his ideas and save the lives of many innocent people" says Federico Prosperi, representative of the Jewish Community of Pisa.