Drigo Giuditta ; Daughter: Bellio Elsa (Poianella); Son-In-Law: Bellio Gino

Bellio, Elsa Bellio, Gino Drigo, Giuditta In the spring of 1944, in Portogruaro (Venice), Giuditta Drigo, together with her daughter Elsa (née Poianella) and Elsa’s husband Gino Bellio, saved the lives of the Falck family, complete strangers, who were refugees from Fiume. The Falck family consisted of the Hungarian-born father, Dr. Giacomo Falck, a surgeon by profession; his wife Gisella (née Reich), their son Federico, 25, and their daughter Renata, 20. The hosts put a room at the Falcks’ disposal, and they were provided with food, heating, and whatever they needed. A place for hiding was prepared in a space under the stairs. It had two holes: one led to a small room behind the kitchen, covered by a cabinet; the other to a storeroom at the other side of the house. Whenever an outsider rang the bell, the Falcks would run to their hiding place. Drigo’s own son, Luigi Berti, deserted the army after September 8, 1943, so he, too, was compelled to hide so as to avoid the frequent roundups. At the beginning of 1945, it became extremely dangerous for Drigo to harbor the Falcks, since a Fascist leader by the name of Salvi arrived in Portogruaro from Fiume. This man, who led a gang of Fascists, came in search of the Falcks. As he was suspicious, he harassed Drigo constantly. Both Giuditta and Elsa denied the accusations, saying the Falcks had already left. Once Elsa and Gino had to give a written declaration at the police station confirming their oral assertion that the Falcks had left their home. This was, of course, a lie, because at that time they were being hidden under the stairs. Nevertheless, it was becoming too dangerous for them to stay on. In January 1945, the family took the Falcks to live with relatives in an isolated small hut near the lagoon in the municipal district of Concordia Sagittaria. However, as the living conditions there were very difficult, the Falcks were brought back to Portogruaro. They remained concealed in the space under the stairsuntil the liberation. They were able to move around a little only at night and then only in the house. The Falck family remained under the protection of Giuditta Drigo and her daughter and son-in-law from the end of May 1944 until April 25, 1945. Giuditta, Elsa, and Gino were aware of the danger posed by their rescue activities but viewed them as a protest against the Nazis and the Fascists, besides being the most natural and human thing to do. After the war the two families remained in touch, regarding one another as one large family. On April 19, 1998, Yad Vashem recognized Giuditta Drigo, Elsa Bellio and Gino Bellio, as Righteous Among the Nations.