Sala Anna

Sala, Anna In 1943, Anna Sala, a 22-year-old student at Venice University, of an anti-fascist family and active in the underground movement Justice and Freedom (Giustizia e Libertá), was acquainted with the Nissim-Levi family. After the occupation of Italy, as she realized the danger to Jews, she turned to Rabbi Dr. Paolo Nissim, convincing him to take his wife Ada (née Levi), their children, four- year-old Lea and two-month-old Daniel, Ada’s mother, Gemma Levi, and Ada’s sister, Anna Levi, and to cross the border into Switzerland. Anna Sala arranged forged documents supplied by Calogero Marrone, a high official in the population registration office of the Varese municipality. He was unfortunately arrested on December 7, 1943 and murdered in Dachau. With these false documents, Anna accompanied them by train to Varese on November 26, 1943. Nevertheless, when they arrived at the border, Anna realized that the previous night, a whole family had been captured there. Under these circumstances, Anna found them a safe hiding place in the Engineer Giacinto De Grandi’s home in the village of Cunardo (Varese province). They stayed there safe for 18 months, until the area was liberated on April 25, 1945. Anna Sala used to come for weekly visits, bringing food and clothing, as well as toys for the children. She managed to get food tickets for the host family and, at one time, she brought a stroller for the baby. She offered encouragement and helped in various other ways, never expecting any reward. Anna Sala also helped her friends from Venice, Tina and Dora Jesurum, cross the border into Switzerland. On August 7, 2000, Yad Vashem recognized Anna Sala as Righteous Among the Nations.