Defining anti-Semitism to defeat it. A question-and-answer session with Saggio

Who wrote to the editor-in-chief, Claudio Cerasa

6 OCT 26

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To the Editor – I am Jewish. I know that anti-Semitism exists and I do not ask the state to remain passive in the face of threats or discrimination. But this draft bill makes me uncomfortable for a reason that goes beyond the debate on Israel. I am not unaware of what the text actually says. It does not introduce new offences or penalties; it safeguards the freedom of political criticism and also entrusts schools, universities and the public service with the task of raising awareness. My unease stems from elsewhere: from the moment the state enshrines an operational definition of anti-Semitism in law and constructs a special protective framework around Jews. It is the perspective that this framework brings with it that troubles me: Jews as a fragile community, to be kept under glass. I do not recognise myself in this image. The Jewish culture I love has an almost defiant familiarity with questions. It comments, contradicts and even questions God. It leaves no authority unscathed, not even its own. Its secularism also stems from this restlessness. The Holocaust must be studied and taught with the rigour that its enormity demands. Those who threaten Jews must be held to account for their actions. But anti-Semitism, before it becomes a threat or discrimination, operates through words and distorts the imagination. A law can protect, promote study and education, and make a danger visible. But prejudice must also be combated at its very source: the words we use to imagine others. This is why Jewish life must move beyond the narrow framework of persecution and reveal itself in all its diversity. I do not want to feel like a protected species. I want to be protected, like any citizen, when I am threatened; not preserved as something one fears might be broken. I would like the country to get to know us better, including our differences, rather than merely learning to treat us with caution.

Paolo Repetti

Quite right, dear Repetti. With one point to add. In Italy, anti-Semitism is already considered, when it amounts to incitement to discrimination or violence, to be a hate crime punishable under the Mancino Act. But a problem remains: there is no agreed-upon and sufficiently precise criterion for determining what constitutes anti-Semitism and what does not. The bill attempts to fill this gap by referring to the definition drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). It does not introduce new offences, it does not introduce new penalties, nor does it prohibit criticism of Israel: it introduces a criterion, a boundary. To be protected from threats, knowing what those threats are is, perhaps, better than not knowing. Thank you very much.

To the Editor – It is not customary for a civil servant to comment in the pages of a newspaper, but the reports that have appeared in recent days in Il Foglio regarding my alleged forthcoming appointment at Eni make a clarification necessary: this story is completely without foundation. The so-called ‘speculation game’ that accompanies a diplomatic career regarding appointments as head of mission abroad, and the associated rumours, have always been part of journalistic reporting. It is quite another matter to invent a story out of thin air. For a civil servant, serving the state is a commitment to loyalty that stems from the oath taken and is renewed every day. This is the spirit that has always characterised my professional career which, in recent times – following seven years at the Quirinale and a posting as ambassador in Tunis – has led me to my current roles as diplomatic adviser to the Prime Minister and coordinator of the Mattei Plan. The Mattei Plan – and I would like to emphasise this here as well – represents a strategy of national interest with an international scope, which I have helped to develop with diligence, transparency and a deep sense of public duty. I have regularly shared updates on its progress with Parliament through the annual report and committee hearings. With my warmest regards.

Fabrizio Saggio, diplomatic adviser to the Prime Minister and coordinator of the Mattei Plan

Carmelo Caruso replies. We are delighted that his expertise remains at Chigi and we are certain that his experience would have been invaluable to Eni too. Very wise indeed!