Anna’s Story
Anna was born on September 5, 1928, the youngest of four siblings. She grew up in Rome, Italy, where her family had lived for at least seven generations. The Bondi family felt very much attached to Italy, even though they were also Jews. In fact, Rome was known as home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. Jews were accepted as part of society.
TESTIMONY: “LIFE IN ROME”
“I had so many aunts and uncles and cousins.”
—Anna Bondi
Anna attended the local Jewish elementary school and had many friends. After school, Anna and her Jewish friends participated in Italian youth groups. Though these were fascist groups, Anna and her friends saw nothing wrong with participating. Jewish children were allowed to be part of the fascist youth groups in Italy, as they were considered a part of the Italian people.
Anna also enjoyed going to the beach in the summers, with her siblings. At age 10, when it came time for Anna to graduate from elementary school, she received a gift of her very own prayer book. She cherished this gift and took it with her wherever she would go.
