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Fitting tribute to the secret Italian heroes

November 13, 2014 13:09
Italian cyclist Gino Bartali on the shoulders of fans after winning the Giro d'Italia in 1946

By

Gillian Tett

3 min read

In recent years Joseph Perella, a giant of the American private equity world, has become obsessed with Italy's history. The periods that normally attract attention, such as the Renaissance or Roman empire, are not what interests Perella. Instead, what has sparked his passion is a saga that is relatively unknown, namely how ordinary Italians treated their Jewish minority during the Second World War.

Mr Perella (whose parents hail from Italy) has shared his obsession in a new documentary that he has financed, along with a group of powerful Italian-American business leaders. This film relates how men such as Gino Bartali, an Italian cycling legend, worked with hundreds of other largely unknown Italians to keep thousands of Jews alive during the Holocaust.

It is a fascinating project. For one thing, it is a powerful reminder of how ethnic heritage creates networks among the US business elite.

The consortium of Italian Americans that Perella pulled into this $1.5m project features people such as Kenneth Langone (head of retailer Home Depot), Maria Bartiromo (the television journalist) and Joseph Tucci (head of EMC, the computer data storage company).