Is there a rise of Anti-Semitism among young Italian-Americans?

[habiru]

 Two men have been arrested and charged with bias crimes in a spate of Anti-Semitic graffiti this weekend at five locations on the North Shore, Nassau police said Sunday.

Between Friday and Saturday, Matthew Felicetti, 17, of Floral Park, and John Rocissano, 20, of Manhasset, painted swastikas at two schools, a synagogue and on a home and a street sign in a residential neighborhood, police said. The two men were arrested separately late Saturday afternoon, police said.

Early Saturday morning, a security guard at Roslyn High School found a swastika painted on a school bus parked in the front lot at the school.



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Swastikas painted at four North Shore locations
In Plandome on Saturday, congregants of the Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore repaired two broken windows and scrubbed off swastikas and graffiti that had been painted on the building's exterior.

Also on Saturday, a Roslyn Estates resident came home to find three swastikas painted his front door. Another swastika had been painted on a nearby street sign.

Police also disclosed Sunday that swastikas were painted at Munsey Park Elementary School, sometime between Friday and Saturday afternoon.

Felicetti was charged as an adult with five counts of aggravated harassment in the first degree, four counts of criminal mischief in the third degree and four counts of criminal mischief in the fourth degree, police said.

Rocissano was charged with eight counts of aggravated harassment in the first degree, seven counts of criminal mischief in the third degree and five counts of criminal mischief in the fourth degree, police said.

Neither the suspects nor their families could be reached immediately for comment.

[EagleEye]

Yes, southern Europeans were resisted.  The Irish, however, got it worse than anyone else.  They were the "[censored] of Europe" according to the know nothing movement.

[Vito]

I grew up in an Italian family, and new many Italians.. they were either friendly with Jews, or indifferent about them.. I really haven't come across any anti-semitic Italians that I can think of.

[newman]

Perhaps young Italians should be reminded that hitler regarded southern Italians as little more than 'monkies'.

Italian Americans have treated the Jews better than any other ethnic group. I don't believe this problem is wide spread.

[mord]

Is there a rise of anti-semitism among young Itaian-Americans?

No!! every group has fools

[Ari]

I would hope not.  I think Italian and Jewish relations have been pretty good over the years.  The two groups have pretty similar immigrant experiences in America.

[nopeaceforland]

I have to agree, these are just two stupid kids looking for attention.

[AussieJTFer]

Italians have generally been anti-semetic have they not? Please correct me if I am mistaken.

[mord]

Italians have generally been anti-semetic have they not? Please correct me if I am mistaken.

Not the ones i know and grew up with

[mord]

Maybe he means the ones in Italy because Europeans as a whole are Anti-Semitic and immoral.

oh europeans i don'nt know about them

[mord]

In the U.S. i find and i'm not being anti negro ,the negro is the worst anti semite

[AussieJTFer]

Yeh I meant in Europe. My uncle was abused many times in Italy when he travelled for work not long ago as he is a religious, kippah wearing Israeli Jew..

[newman]

Yeh I meant in Europe. My uncle was abused many times in Italy when he travelled for work not long ago as he is a religious, kippah wearing Israeli Jew..

A non-bearded muslim could look like an Italian. It could have been them. Mussolini couldn't get the Italians to be anti-semetic even when he tried whipping them up.

[AussieJTFer]

Possibly muslims. There are still many fascist sympathisers in Italy, specifically in the North and also many, many communists, both obviously have very anti-Israel/anti-Jewish views and such exhibitions of anti-semitism are displayed in public at their soccer games.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OrGMc-mHeF4

 

[newman]

Possibly muslims. There are still many fascist sympathisers in Italy, specifically in the North and also many, many communists, both obviously have very anti-Israel/anti-Jewish views and such exhibitions of anti-semitism are displayed in public at their soccer games.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OrGMc-mHeF4

 

Good points.
Anti-Israel brainwashing could well have turned them by now.

[cjd]

Yeh I meant in Europe. My uncle was abused many times in Italy when he travelled for work not long ago as he is a religious, kippah wearing Israeli Jew..

A non-bearded muslim could look like an Italian. It could have been them. Mussolini couldn't get the Italians to be anti-semetic even when he tried whipping them up.

I attended a talk by a Holocaust survivor called Walter Wolff. A German Jew who was taken to Dachau and through some miracle gained release and was allowed to go to Italy. According to his accounts Italy was very protective of Jews that lived in Italy. It was not until the very end of the war that the Germans occupied parts of Italy that some of the Jews detained there were deported to camps in other countries that put them to death. In his book Bad Times Good People there are several photos of Jewish prisoners and Italian guards sitting in groups posing for pictures. He claimed he was allowed to live outside the camp with his mom and was even able to eventually gain paperwork showing he was Italian all with the help of the local people where the camp was located. He was able to live a almost normal existence during the war with the help of the local people.
http://www.italiausa.com/walterwolff/index.htm