Castaldo Maria

Maria Castaldo Throughout the 1930s, Maria Castaldo taught in the prestigious Virgilio high school in Rome, where she befriended Adriana Sadun, a Jewish colleague. In 1938, Sadun was dismissed following the enactment of the racial laws. She then took a job as a teacher in the Jewish school up by the Jewish community in Rome for the benefit of their children, who had all been expelled from public schools. On October 16, 1943, the Germans carried out a large-scale raid against the Jews in Rome. When someone informed Sadun what was happening, she immediately turned to her friend, seeking a place to hide. Castaldo came to pick her up without delay, and took her to her home, which she shared with her parents and sister. Castaldo kept Sadun hidden for eight months until the liberation of Rome in June 1944, sharing what little food she had with Sadun. Sadun wore a housekeeper’s uniform to throw off suspicion as to her presence in that house. Although there was an ever-present risk of betrayal and punishment, this did not deter Castaldo from continuing to shelter her friend. After the war, Adriana Sadun (later Procaccia) and Maria Castaldo remained very close, sharing bonds of friendship that were only strengthened by their trying ordeal. On August 29, 2011, Yad Vashem recognized Maria Castaldo as Righteous Among the Nations.