Ettore Ovazza
| Ettore Ovazza | |
|---|---|
| Born |
21 March 1892 Turin, Italy |
| Died | 11 October 1943 (aged 51) Intra, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Strong supporter of Italian fascism |
| Political party | National Fascist Party |
| Relatives |
Jean-Paul Elkann Gianni Agnelli John Elkann |
Ettore Ovazza (21 March 1892, in Turin – 11 October 1943, in Intra) was an Italian Fascist Jewish banker. Believing that his privileged position would be restored after the war, Ovazza stayed on after the Germans marched into Italy. Together with his wife and children, he was killed near the Swiss border by SS troops in 1943, shortly after the collapse of Mussolini's government during World War II.
He was born, one of three brothers, to the Ovazza family, a wealthy and influential Jewish banking family based in Turin. They were one of the leading banking families in Italy. His father and his three brothers voluntarily enlisted to fight in the First World War. The family was well integrated into Italian high society, while they followed Jewish traditions such as celebrating Passover. His father served as the leader of the Turinese Jewish community.
Ettore Ovazza studied law at university and then travelled to Germany with a view to a diplomatic career. At the outbreak of World War I he had volunteered and trained as an officer, only to suffer the humiliating defeat at Caporetto. His patriotic letters from the front were published in 1928 and received general praise. After the war, the city of Turin was badly affected by the turmoil of the Biennio Rosso (Two Red Years) with repeated strikes, lockouts and violent demonstrations. The Ovazza family were alarmed by these developments.
Ettore Ovazza was a committed Fascist from the start. He took part in the March on Rome in October 1922; in 1929 he was invited to meet Mussolini as a part of a delegation of Jewish war veterans. He later described the encounter:
"On hearing my affirmation of the unshakeable loyalty of Italian Jews to the Fatherland, His Excellency Mussolini looks me straight in the eye and says with a voice that penetrates straight to my heart: ‘I have never doubted it’. When Il Duce bids us farewell with a Roman salute, I feel an urge to embrace him, as a fascist, as an Italian, but I can’t; and approaching him at his desk I say: ‘Excellency, I would like to shake your hand’. It is not a fascist gesture, but it is a cry from the heart…
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Wikipedia