Sacchi Riccardo & Edmea

Sacchi, Ebe Sacchi, Edmea Sacchi, Riccardo Sacchi, Vando In the early years of the war the teenager, Moshe Shapiro, lived in Turin, remaining there until 1943. In those days Shapiro, who was born in Merano, in the Bolzano region, lacked an identity card, since he had destroyed the one indicating he was Jewish. When he felt he was no longer safe in Turin, he decided to leave for Trieste where he had a grandmother, hoping from there to go to Eretz Israel. However, as soon as he arrived there, meeting her in an old-age home, Shapiro realized that his plan was unrealistic. Therefore, he decided to go elsewhere. By train, he headed toward Mantua. Arriving there lonely and hungry, he wandered around the countryside, at times finding refuge in deserted barns. One day he made the acquaintance of the Sacchi family – the brothers, Riccardo and Vando Sacchi, and their wives Edmea and Ebe – who lived in the village of Sustinente, Mantua province. They were willing to give him refuge at their farm, putting him up in the cellar of their house or, alternately, in the attic. He was fed and taken care of and felt protected. His hosts treated him like family. There was a great risk involved in this for the Sacchi family, since at a certain time the SS local headquarters took over the stables of the Sacchi farm. Thus, all parties involved had to be exceptionally cautious and use various subterfuges in order to keep Shapiro safe. There were also children living in the house: the two young daughters of Riccardo and Edmea, Adoua and Flavia. After about a year in the village, Shapiro made up his mind to leave the Sacchi family and not jeopardize them anymore. He was successful in meeting Count Luigi Perez* and his wife Sandra, who helped him until liberation. He never forgot his benefactors. On August 2, 1999, Yad Vashem recognized Riccardo and Edmea Sacchi and Vando and Ebe Sacchi as Righteous Among the Nations.