Zara Adele

Zara, Adele After the armistice of September 8, 1943, in order to avoid deportation, the Levi family – Carlo Levi, his wife, Elisa Loly Levi, and their 13-year-old daughter, Fulvia – fled their home in Trieste and arrived in Oriago di Mira, a small village located on the shores of Brenta, near Venice. There they met Adele Zara who offered them shelter. In the Zara household there were 17 family members, consisting of Zara’s five sons, their wives and children. The Levis received not only a roof over their heads, but also food, medicine, and heating in the cold winter of 1943-44. Adele even helped them get in touch with their relatives in Venice. Prof. Fulvia Levi later recalled the love and affection bestowed upon her in those trying months. She remembered Zara as a simple and modest woman, courageous and strong-willed. It was indeed very risky for Zara, and her actions jeopardized her whole family, but she did not hesitate for a minute, determined to help these people in distress. She made them feel they were part of her family. Once Fulvia was seriously ill, and Adele took her to a hospital using a false identity – Fulvia Zara. More than once the Levis had to leave Oriago and hide elsewhere, because it was too dangerous to remain in the house when searches were conducted. In such cases, Zara accompanied them to Venice and helped them find temporary shelter. However, they returned to Zara in Oriago, and remained there until the war’s end. In February 1944, Fulvia’s grandmother fell from a chair and was hospitalized. As her family was in hiding, they were unable to visit her, so Zara’s family went to the hospital, bringing fresh eggs and milk, pretending she was their grandmother. The Allied soldiers liberated Oriago on April 29, 1945, but the Levi family remained at Zara’s house until June 1945, since they had no home to return to in Trieste. After the war the two families maintained warm contacts, sharing both happy and sad times. On February 25, 1996,Yad Vashem recognized Adele Zara as Righteous Among the Nations.