File:1939 Bardi.jpg

See Iandiorio (2018)

{en} Gino Bardi (pseud. of Joseph Bascetta, 1907-1978). Are We Aryans. New York: Workers Library Publishers, 1939.

Abstract

Bardi (with Valenzi and Gaddi) was one of the few Italians who could express their opposition against racism and antisemitism. As members of the Communist party, they could publish their works outside Italy, in the United States, Tunisia, and France, respectively. Berdi's pamphlet was published in New York by the Workers Library Publishers.

"Are We Aryans was produced by the US Communist Party-supporting Italian-American Gino Bardi in 1938 and was widely distributed amongst the Italian community in New York. In this work, Bardi, who was also editor of the Communist L'Unità del Popolo newspaper, attempted to refute the sudden anti-Semitic and racial turn taken by Mussolini in 1938. Bardi points out Mussolini had earlier been very pro-Jewish and had spoken out strongly against racial ideologies, and had claimed that Jews were completely integrated into Italy. Written from an extreme anti-Fascist and Communist perspective, this booklet nonetheless provides a short but valuable summary of the history of Italian Jews dating back to Casear's time right up to the early days of Fascism-which, ironically as Bardi points out-many leading Italian Jews supported, including, Margherita Sarfatti, Mussolini's mistress. After listing the penalties (the expulsion of Jews from the schools, the expropriation of their property, their exclusion from public life) inflicted upon the Jews since the promulgation of Mussolini's anti-Semitic Decrees after his sudden alliance with Nazi Germany, Bardi warned his Italian American audience that it was in their interests to reject fascism in Italy and America."--

About the Author

A member of the Italian Communist Party, Joseph Bascetta (1907-1978) was a journalist and director of L'Unità di New York.