Letters
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR •
The drift of the pro-Bal movement, where every now and then someone apologises (such as Francesca Albanese)
Who has written to the editor-in-chief, Claudio Cerasa
29 SEP 26
Translated by AI
Photo: ANSA
To the editor – “I sincerely apologise. I misunderstood the term ‘Muselmann’ (Muslim), used in Nazi camps to refer to prisoners on the brink of death, erroneously inferring that the term ‘anti-Semitism’ originally meant hatred towards all Semitic peoples. In reality, it was coined specifically to denote hatred towards Jews” (Francesca Albanese, X). No, Ms Albanese, who has distanced herself whenever the name Liliana Segre is mentioned, it is the media, politicians, mayors, artists and intellectuals who have hailed you as the Joan of Arc of the Palestinian people who must offer a sincere apology. Nevertheless, despite your crass ignorance, a seat in Parliament will likely be offered to you by Giuseppe Conte or Nicola Fratoianni (a fact you are already aware of).
Michele Magno
Anti-Zionism easily tends to turn into anti-Semitism, and anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism tends to distort the legitimate pro-Palestinian movement into a detestable pro-Bal movement, where every now and then someone apologises – as, fortunately, Ms Albanese did this time – but where every lie is routinely accepted in order to demonise the Jewish people.
To the Editor – The Swiss electorate has rejected the popular initiative “Safeguarding Swiss Neutrality” by 70.15 per cent of the vote; the initiative aimed to make the country’s neutrality more stringent through a new article in the Federal Constitution. The ‘No’ vote prevailed in all cantons by very large margins. Fortunately, our referendum procedures are different; indeed, given the way the verb ‘ripudiate’ – referring to war – has been exploited, I am by no means certain that, here in Italy, a ‘Yes’ vote would be defeated on a similar initiative.
Giuliano Cazzola
To the Editor – Pope Leo XIV’s speech yesterday in Paris before President Macron reminded me of the famous sermons delivered in 1941 by Cardinal August von Galen, then Bishop of Münster in Germany. For their power, their vision, their historical dignity. For their courage! It is no coincidence that August von Galen is remembered today as the Lion of Münster. In short, hic sunt Leones.
Vincenzo Agostini
To the Editor – In the end, despite his best efforts, Donald Trump will go down in history, amongst many other things, for rolling out the red carpet first for Vladimir Putin and then for Xi Jinping. Not a great chapter, unfortunately, for that proud and wonderful nation.
Luca Rocca
To the Editor – A sense of despondency and sadness overtakes the reader at the end of Oscar Giannino’s excellent analysis yesterday. He concludes the article by expressing the hope that the founding fathers of the new Europe will be able to write and inspire the peoples of Europe in the same way that Jefferson, Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine did in the American colonies. I do not see any figures of such calibre around at the moment.
Vanio Balzo
To the Editor – I would like to share some thoughts with you on the teaching profession today. There was a time when teaching was not simply a job: it was a choice, a responsibility, almost a vocation. Stepping into a classroom meant taking on the extremely delicate task of contributing not only to the cultural but also to the personal development of a generation. Today, however, all too often teaching risks becoming a fallback for those who have not found – or have not wanted to seek – a different path. A stopgap, a means of employment, a sort of safe haven rather than a conscious choice. And when a profession that demands authority, patience, preparation and passion is undertaken without genuine motivation, it is inevitable that something will break down sooner or later. The problem, of course, is not the teacher who arrives at school having followed different paths. Nor can one assume that all educators in the past were better and all those today are inadequate. The issue runs deeper: it is the very notion we have of the role itself. Because teaching does not simply mean imparting knowledge, marking homework or sticking to a timetable. It means instilling respect, responsibility, discipline, curiosity and a sense of duty. It means being, for many young people, one of the first adults outside the family called upon to represent a credible authority figure. And perhaps this is precisely where the change is felt most keenly. A school in which teaching is perceived as a last resort risks creating an increasingly weak relationship between teacher and pupil; a school in which, on the other hand, those who teach truly feel the weight and value of their mission can still have a profound impact on young people’s development. Pupils’ behaviour has also changed: respect for authority, a sense of boundaries, personal responsibility and an awareness of the consequences of one’s actions seem more fragile today. But it would be too simplistic to attribute all this solely to teachers. The family, society, cultural norms and the very way in which we have gradually redefined the concept of authority have played an equally important role. One truth, however, remains difficult to ignore: a school cannot teach responsibility if those called upon to educate do not, first and foremost, feel the responsibility of their own role. The teaching profession should not be something one chooses when one has found nothing else. It should be something one chooses knowing exactly how great a responsibility one holds in one’s hands: not simply a class, but a part of the future.
Rocco Calciano