Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso recently spoke about his experiences growing up in Formia, Italy during WWII and the Holocaust to a class of school children at the Silverstein Hebrew Academy in Great Neck.
As a small boy, Tony was tasked with playing outside and calling out to his mother, in Italian, whenever he saw German soldiers approaching. With his help, his family was able to save the lives of a large extended Jewish family (Sinigallia) in his hometown on the Mediterranean coast.
A few months ago D’Urso had made a trip to Italy to reunite with the descendants of the family his family saved.
“I am glad that I had this opportunity to tell these school children my life story,” D’Urso said, “We must not forget our history and we must pass on our stories to future generations so that nothing is forgotten.”
The children listened to his stories and asked questions, developing a better sense for the history they study by hearing it from someone who lived during that period.
The event was arranged by Rabbi Zevy Geisinsky.
