During the German occupation of Italy (1943-1945), thousands of Italian, European and stateless Jews who had been forced to abandon their homes to avoid deportation, attempted to cross the Italian-Swiss border illegally in order to take refuge in Switzerland.
In Frontier of Hope, Renata Broggini recounts the dramatic lives of these families from the time they left their native country until their return, using source material which includes documents held in Swiss and Italian archives as well as the written and spoken testimony of the people involved.
Some of them fell into the clutches of unscrupulous refugee traffickers who betrayed them (“Every Jew has his price”), others were arrested by the Republican Fascist militia, still others were turned away at the frontier by the Swiss border guards: “Who are you? What do you want? It’s not true that Jews are being persecuted in Italy”. So the fact is that many thousands did not manage to cross the frontier: “We’re Jews and, since Italy doesn’t want us, we tried to move to another country, but even Switzerland didn’t want us”.
Those who did manage to cross over - about 6000 in all - were given the chance to regain their lost identity and their dignity: “We feel that we shall soon become ourselves again, in spite of more suffering and privation, and we won’t have to hide our identity under false names; we shall be able to carry our heads high, way above the informers and those who sold themselves to foreigners”.
Amongst those who made it were rich and poor alike, celebrated intellectuals and ordinary people from all walks of life (“Ah, so you want a home from home! And you’ve come to Switzerland expecting to lead an easy life. No, absolutely not. Here, everyone has to work”.) The majority were interned in staging camps before being sent to work camps spread amongst the Cantons. Other were accommodated in guest houses and private homes, once they had given proof of their financial resources.
The survivors’ stories, their diaries and letters, describe the reasons for their flight, their preparations for departure, the routes taken, the fear, the solidarity amongst refugees, life in internment and work camps, occasions for learning and study, for relaxation and prayer, the difficult times and the brief moments of serenity, the eagerly awaited day of freedom from military control, and their return home. A questionnaire distributed to refugees asked: “Where do you expect to go after the war?” Almost all of them replied: “We hope to be welcomed back by the country which we have never lost”, though some declared: “It will be impossible to forget”.
Over and above the personal suffering of those who found a “safe haven” in Switzerland, Frontier of Hope provides a wide-ranging and well-documented description of the delicate question of Jewish refugees and of the Swiss Confederation’s actions which veered between acceptance and rejection - questions that are still the subject of debate and discussion today.
