interviews: Maximiliano Crocamo
Interviews: Trieste mayor, Roberto Dipiazza; Rabbi and head of the Jewish community of FVG, Alexander Meloni
Twenty new Stolpersteine — the small brass plaques embedded in sidewalks across Europe to commemorate victims of Nazi persecution — were installed on Tuesday in Trieste, further expanding the city’s growing network of memorials dedicated to Holocaust remembrance.
The ceremony took place along Via Cavana and was organized by the Jewish Community of Trieste, with the support of the city administration and authorization from the regional office for archaeology, fine arts and landscape. Students from the Petrarca Classical and Linguistic High School participated in the event, underscoring the educational dimension that has become central to the Stolpersteine project.
Often referred to as “stumbling stones,” the plaques are placed outside the last freely chosen residences of deported Jews and other victims of the Nazi regime. Each stone bears a name, date of birth, and information about deportation and death, transforming everyday urban spaces into sites of quiet reflection.
The twenty stones installed on Tuesday commemorate Emilia Levi Caimi; Vittorio Haim Cesana; Matilde, Armando Menachem, Davide, Sara and Samuele Cesana; Francesco Zizich; Nora Richetti; Irene Randegger Gerussi; Maria Luigia Gerussi; Zoe Lust; Paul Hahn; Angela Wodicka Hahn; Rosa and Giuseppe Mustacchi; Clotilde Finzi; Elena Amalia, Gianfranco and Giacomo Gerstenfeld — individuals whose lives were cut short by racial persecution.
With these additions, the total number of Stolpersteine in Trieste has reached 151 since the first were laid in January 2018, reflecting the city’s continued commitment to preserving the memory of its Jewish community and confronting a painful chapter of its past.
By integrating remembrance into the fabric of daily life, the Stolpersteine initiative aims not only to honor those who were lost but also to prompt ongoing reflection — particularly among younger generations — on the consequences of intolerance and the importance of historical memory.
