My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust, narrated by Isabella Rossellini, tells the story of cycling idol Gino Bartali and other courageous Italians who risked their lives to save thousands of Jews, partisans, and refugees from Nazi-occupied Italy. These brave Italians worked with Jewish leaders and members of the Catholic Church to save approximately 80% of the country’s Jews. Bartali, like most of the rescuers, never sought recognition or reward and few of those he helped knew his name or what role he played in their rescue.
You can learn more about the rescue of Italian Jews in the book It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina. Elizabeth will be signing books after the screening.
Elizabeth Bettina is the Creator and Co- founder of Be the Difference-Never Again. Elizabeth is the author of It Happened in Italy: The Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust and co-producer of the documentary My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust. She is a visionary who makes the Impossible-Possible! From creating a new tradition in Times Square honoring first responders killed in the line of duty, to arranging private audiences with Pope Francis and Pope Benedict for Holocaust survivors and their rescuers, also for Good Samaritans. She also arranged to have WWII veterans ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Elizabeth, is a graduate of Smith College, with a dual degree in Economics and Italian Language and Literature. She is a fluent speaker of both English and Italian and working knowledge of French.
