Italian American Digest Winter Digest 2018

Italian American Digest spot had his true motives been re- vealed. The danger to him, his wife Adriana, and their two young sons, Andrea and Luigi, was quite real. Bartali would also time his ar- rival to a local train station along his route with great care. He would make a point of being seen getting a cappuccino at the station cafe just as the train from the north would compete its trip. He knew that the locals would flock to him, looking for a handshake or an autograph. This crush of fans shouting his name and trying to get near him would overwhelm the Nazi soldiers patrolling the station. They would leave their posts to see what was causing the chaos. In the few pre- cious minutes of confusion, those who might be escaping from the north would have a brief window of time to sneak aboard the train about to leave for the south. After about ten minutes, when the southbound train had uneventfully departed, Bartali would wave to his fans and cycle on. He repeated this stunt countless times. Eventually, Bartali was suspected of playing some role in assisting Jews, but the Nazi authorities were not certain what it was. Bartali was taken to a local prison, where he was forced to watch others being tortured for three days. Bartali only broke his silence to say, “I am a Catholic. I do what is right in my heart.” With no conclusive proof, the Nazis decided Bartali was too popular a man to simply disappear, and he was released. Very shortly after, the Nazis were expelled from Italy by the Allied forces. Bartali was loathe to discuss his PAGE 9 WINTER 2018 role in any of these wartime ac- tivities. He shied away from any recognition from them, preferring to be known for his cycling. Con- sequently, it is difficult to ascertain how many Jewish refugees he helped, especially since most of those he did assist had no idea that the world-famous cyclist was the one delivering their travel docu- ments. Only in his declining years, when others who had taken part revealed his role in this mission, did Bartali admit his participation. Even then, he preferred to say little and shared mostly with his two sons. Once he publicly admitted his work as a secret courier, Giacomo Goldenberg, a friend of Bartali’s since childhood, felt free to reveal another secret that Bartali had asked him to keep: Bartali had hidden the Goldenberg family in the basement of his home during the war until they were able to be moved to safety. It is now estimated that more than 800 Jews were spared deportation to concentration camps as a direct result of Bartali’s actions. In recognition of his wartime heroics, Gino Bartali was made a Cavaliere di Gran Croce (Knight Grand Cross) in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In October 2013, 13 years after Bartali’s death, Israel named him Righteous Among the Nations, an honor only be- stowed upon non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis. For the first time ever, and in Bar- tali’s honor, the 2018 Giro d’Italia race was started in Jerusalem. C o m m u n i t y C a l e n d a r Amici Christmas Party Friday, December 7, 2018 at 6:30 PM – 9 PM American Italian Cultural Center 537 S Peters St, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Join us at the American Italian Cultural Center for a night of eat- ing, drinking and Italian conversation! The event includes unlimit- ed pizza, salad, and dessert. We will celebrate the holiday season and learn about Italian Christmas traditions, music, and stories. Tickets are $25 general admission and $20 for AICC members. Italian Language Classes Winter Classes begin Jan 7, 2019 American Italian Cultural Center 537 S Peters St, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 The American Italian Cultural Center (AICC) Italian Language Lessons are offered at four different levels carefully designed on the basis of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Lan- guage (ACTFL) national proficiency scale. All classes are taught by a native Italian teacher and have a friendly and motivating atmosphere. If you are unsure of your course level, please call the AICC at 504-522-7294 Courses are held at the American Italian Cultural Center in Downtown New Orleans and at the Italian American Bocce Club of Greater New Orleans located at 2340 Severn Avenue, Metairie. Each class will include a total of eight 1.5 hour sessions. Classes start in early January and end in late February. Visit our website to see the full class schedule: http://americani- talianculturalcenter.com/classes/winter/ Poppy Tooker’s Pascal’s Manale Cookbook Signing Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 6:30 PM – 8 PM American Italian Cultural Center 537 S Peters St, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Poppy Tooker, a native New Orleanian and Louisiana food icon, has created yet another fascinating culinary history and cook- book—this time on Pascal’s Manale, the second oldest continually operating family-owned restaurant in New Orleans, second only to Antoine’s. Join us for a book talk and signing with Poppy! She will present the cookbook and we’ll learn about the history of Pascal’s Manale. Poppy Tooker’s Pascal Manale’s Cookbook: A Family Tradition may be pre-ordered or purchased the night of the event. Tickets are $10 general admission and FREE for AICC members. 34th Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame Gala Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 5 PM – 10 PM Hilton New Orleans Riverside 2 Poydras St, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 The Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame Induction Gala honors and celebrates national and local Italian Americans in the sports, entertainment, medical, and civic fields. Proceeds benefit the American Italian Cultural Center and scholarships for college-bound high school seniors excelling in academics and athletics. Cocktails and Silent Auction will begin at 5:00pm The Dinner and Induction Ceremony will begin at 6:00pm. Gold Tickets $250, Silver Tickets $200, AICC Member Tickets $175

Italian American Digest Winter Digest 2018 | Page 9