Elizabeth Bettina

Dear Elizabeth,

I just wanted to give you a follow up to our meeting of June 4th.
When you spoke to our book club about your eye opening book, It Happened in Italy, we invited a few of our teenage children to join us.

My daughter, who is 14, was present.  She is not a teen who enjoys reading but after hearing you speak she was motivated to read your book.  She was so inspired that she was relentless in asking us to take her to Rome and Campagna.

We were so impressed with her excitement that we are taking her to Italy in just a couple of weeks.

Thank you for writing the book and telling your compelling story, but most of all, thank you for inspiring my daughter.

All the best,
Lori Berke

Hello All!

I am excited that I was invited to speak about, IT HAPPENED IN ITALY: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust – on Monday, August 17, 2009 – 7:30 PM.

Barnes & Noble –  Lincoln Triangle- 1972 Broadway (66th Street) New York .  A Holocaust survivor, Ursula Korn Selig will be joining me.  I would be delighted to meet you, answer your questions and sign books about this story of goodness amidst evil.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

The New Canaan library was full to capacity last week despite that horrible rainstorm (yes, another rainy night on the east coast).  I thank all of you for coming to hear this little known story of what happened in Italy during the Holocaust.  Thank you for your warm reception – especially for Ursula Korn Selig.  It was a wonderful evening that had an extra surprise for me. 

Esta and Jay Feinsod invited us to dinner.  They read the book on the way to Italy and were so taken by the story that they went to Campagna and visited the Museum of Memory and Peace. My cousin, Antonio was their guide!  They wrote to me about their experience and I was delighted to meet them and hear why they visited Campagna.  They did not know this story of goodness amidst evil during the Holocaust and did not know the story of Jews in Italy. It was the highlight of their 12 day trip.

I was delighted that they agreed to speak and tell the audience of their journey.  This is what this book is about.  It brings people together in unexpected ways.  

Thank you Cynde and Kathleen for hosting the event.  You were wonderful.

Elizabeth,

Your book is amazing. As a child of a Holocaust survivor, and one who has always been interested in the unique and fascinating individual stories, I was stunned by the depth and breadth of the stories you uncovered. I have always been a student of history and of Judaic studies (and have degrees in both from the University of Michigan), and I was only marginally aware of this story. You brought it to life!

Its a great story on so many levels–on the understanding of Jewish-Catholic relations, on humanitarianism, on moving forward, and of course, on being appreciative and thankful.

I am fortunate to work on many inter-group and inter-faith programs, and I have already recommended your book to so many. Its obvious that this was truly just a labor of love, and your dedication to this incredible group of survivors, to the nation and people of Italy, and to the Catholic church is inspiring.

I hope we’ll have the chance to work together.

Wishing you only the best as you continue the journey,

Kari Alterman
Detroit, Michigan

I will  be speaking at the New Canann Library with Ursula Korn Selig.

Thursday, July 23, 7:30pm, 151 Main Street, New Canaan, CT

Please call for  reservations: 594-5000

I hope you can come!

This is a sentence that I truly believe in.  The people in the book are alive today because people were not indifferent – they helped them – while risking their lives.

Edith Birns is a survivor of Auschwitz – and she states that “My neighbors did not help us.  They only wanted to know which cow gave the most milk.”

Walter Wolff said, “At least 50 people helped me while I was in Italy – and if each one of them did not do what they did, I might not have survived.”

Hello!

I have a confession.  I am not very good at this blogging thing  – but I think you noticed.  Anyone who knows me, knows that all this technology is – well – let’s just say – not my strong point.

I have much to fill you in on, and I will – but the most important thing I can tell you is being contacted by additional people who survived the Holocaust in Italy has been amazing.  They all say the same thing.  If they were not in Italy, they would not be here today.

George Radam said, “Because of Italy, I am an old American.”  What a statement.

Much more to come!

This is a question that I ask all the time, as do so many others?  Why?  Why so much hatred – killings – for what reason?

The killing today at the Holocaust Museum makes me ask why?  We constantly see what happens when “hate and ignorance dominate” as David Marwell of the Museum of Jewish Heritage said.  We also need to see what happens when hate does not dominate, when caring for others dominates.

Reading emails from others who survived the Holocaust because they are were Italy is – well – words cannot completely describe how amazing it is to know how many more stories there are and how similar they all are.  At times I do not know if they quoted the book, or I somehow quoted them.

It still amazes me that so little is known about this aspect of history.  I am extremely grateful to those who write expressing their thoughts and sharing what happened to them while they were in Italy.  Thank you.

 5-18-09

Dear Ms. Bettina,

I am writing on behalf of my father, Paul Millet who asked me to order your book for him through Amazon as he is not a user of computers

My father and his parents survived the war in Italy. I am sure you would be interested in his story, which I might add he is only too happy to tell and retell

My father was born in Vienna in 1930. After Kristallnacht in Vienna in 1938 it soon became apparent that the family could no longer remain in Austria. Unfortunately the family had left their run a bit late and the only country to which they could go was Italy and even in Italy they were originally issued with only a 6 week Visa.

 As my father tells it, however, he quickly learned Italian in Milan where they were living and was able to convince authorities to keep on reissuing their Visa every 6 weeks. He even obtained a part time job as a delivery boy for a book shop and has a chapter devoted to him in a book that the owner of the bookstore an  Alberto Vigevani subsequently wrote, La Febbre dei Libri.

In 1940, Paul’s father and my grandfather, Herman Millet was arrested and sent to jail in Milan. A month later he was sent to an internment camp in Badia Al Pino in Tuscany and some months later to Lucignano also in Tuscany. However, he was found wandering  outside of limits and as a punishment was sent to another internment camp in Pescaserolli in Abruzzo. There he was joined by my father and grandmother who wanted to escape the bombing and difficulties that had become life in Milan. They all remained in Pescasseroli until 1944 travelling to L’aquila and finally Rome where they settled until moving to Australia in 1946

I have tried to keep the story short but should you wish to speak with my father I’m sure he would be happy to provide you with greater detail.

My father has always told me that he and his parents owed their lives to Italy and the mostly benevolent Italians who helped them out whenever possible and warned them of any impending roundups. His story has given me an abiding love for Italy, its language and people and I am a frequent visitor as a result of this as well as being more or less fluent in Italian.

Please let me know if you would like to speak with my father and I will put you in touch.

Regards,
Leonie

AUSTRALIA

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5-22-09

 Hi Elizabeth,

My father has almost finished the book. He is very emotional as so much of it is his story. He is reading very late into the night.

He has just delivered a bundle of photos that I will have professionally scanned as many of the originals are too precious to risk in the post.  When they are done I will get an address from you so that I can send them on.

Regards,
Leonie

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5-23-09

Dear Elizabeth,

 I guess my father is so emotional because although Melbourne has the largest Holocaust survivor population other than Israel, most of the survivors are of Polish or Hungarian extraction and spent “their war” in various camps and/or hiding in Eastern Europe. There are very few Italian Jews or people who spent the war in Italy.

I have also had some experience interviewing Holocaust Survivors having worked as an interviewer with Stephen Spielberg’s Survivors of The Shah project. In the 40 or so interviews I conducted I never once encountered someone with an Italian experience.

 I will get those photos to you soon

 Regards,

Leonie

On 23/05/2009, at 9:06 PM, Elizabeth Bettina wrote:

 Dear Leonie,

 Thank you for writing to me.  After having interviewed so many people, I know that the stories have similar elements to them.  Sometimes Vince Marmoreal and I could finish the people’s sentences for them and they would look at us in awe – asking “how did you know”?  The answer – we had heard it before – so many times.

I know about the pictures….they are way too precious to risk. 

Ciao!

Elizabeth