Recent historical research has shed light on the story of Bernardo Bembassat and his wife Elisa Bottor, a Jewish family that managed to escape the Holocaust by taking refuge on the Gargnano Coast during World War II. Starting in the autumn of 1943, when the situation in Toscolano Maderno became perilous due to the military presence and Nazi roundups, the couple found shelter in the small hamlet of Mignone. Here, with the help of trusted individuals like the “Colonel,” they moved between various hiding places to evade increasingly stringent controls.
The Bembassat family’s evasion lasted until the liberation of the area in May 1945, during which they faced significant logistical and climatic challenges. Their story is part of a research project conducted by historian Bruno Festa, initiated by Tullio Righettini and Remo Franzoni, aimed at illuminating the complex Jewish history of this region and highlighting the efforts made to ensure survival during a dark period in Italian history. The fourth and final episode of the series “The Jews and ‘the Colonel'” will be published on February 5th.
