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עמוד:*38
* 38 x Throughout the book we can see that the events reinforced familial bonds and mutual solidarity . Sometimes, members of the family were separated for months . Children were sent abroad first, as in the case of the Falcos . The reunion cemented their relations . x They were self - confident, optimistic and flexible with the downgrade of their positions and fully reconstructing their lives as self - made people in the new country . For example, many privileged and pampered wives began to work ( Idem, p . 40 ) . The dental surgeon Leoni, not having an American license to practice, was forced to work as a salesman Idem, p . 41 ) . Other approach is seen in the Italian merchants, who saw new opportunities ( for larger businesses ( p . 124 ) , in particular inside the Big Apple ( Idem, p . 125 ) . Others upgraded their financial enterprises when they came back to Italy after the war ( Idem, p . ) 129 . x They did not look back . The past was over, they broke with Italy, and the future offered attractive opportunities . They did not have any reason to wallow in regret . Naturally, when Italy was ravaged by the war and Jews became fugitives in their own country, they found one more reason to believe that they had taken the right step . x The social environment was positive . Despite the feeling they don't belong to any specific ethnic group, the U . S . regained its image of a country of opportunity after the end of the Great Depression . The attractions, entertainment, consumption goods, transportation methods, and freedoms of a vital liberal country were seen with enthusiasm and mostly in a positive perspective ( Idem, pp . 36 - 37 ) . x Last but not least, they were able to share their stories, to verbalize indescribable dramatic events and to reframe their past . In Pontecorboli’s essay, we can hear in their harmonic polyphony, probably for the first time, one more step toward thriving and coping with the past . The Drowned Compared to Pontecorboli’s population, the Jews who remained in Italy didn't have the resources required for survival . The Jews of Rome, for example, were a compact and well - defined community with their own dialect, Giudaico - Romanesco . To some extent, similarly to other Jewish communities, they did not see the writing on the wall, and erroneously believed that discrimination does not imply persecution ( De Felice, 1972 ) . Even after the Nazi invasion in September 1943, many of them showed no signs of distress, vigilance or alertness . They believed that their identity as Italians would give them some protection . Moreover, we can suggest that a form of groupthink appeared among this population, a psychological
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אדמוני, אריאל
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