What did Jews think of Fascism in interwar Italy? Given Mussolini’s belligerent dictatorship and his alliance with Hitler, it seems only natural that Italian Jews would have opposed his regime. In this lecture, Dr Shira Klein reveals quite the contrary. Jews rarely opposed Mussolini until 1938, when the Fascist government enacted a series of racist laws against them. Until that date, most Jewish attitudes to Fascism ranged from mild criticism, to indifference, to fervent support of the regime. This talk will explain why. Dr. Klein uses a lively selection of sources to trace what Jews thought of Fascism, from memoirs to photographs and songs.
About the Speaker: Dr. Shira Klein is an Assistant Professor of History at Chapman University. She holds a Ph.D. from New York University, a master’s degree from La Sapienza University, Rome, and a B.A. from Tel Aviv University. Dr Klein is completing a book manuscript on the history of Italian Jews from 1870 to 1950. Her research has won the support of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, and a year-long Yad Hanadiv/Beracha Foundation Fellowship in Jewish Studies. At Chapman University, Dr. Klein teaches Jewish history, European history, and migration history.
Viterbi Seminar in Mediterranean Jewish Studies
Sponsored by the
UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies
Cosponsored by the
UCLA Department of History
UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies
UCLA Department of Italian
