Colbertaldo Ida (Mozzachiodi)

Colbertaldo, Ida The Geschmay family was originally from Germany. When Hitler came to power, they migrated to Italy. After the Germans occupied Italy in September 1943, they began to look for a temporary hiding place, until a more permanent safe haven could be found. The mother, Annalisa Gemma Luccio di Sassari (aka Annelise Geschmay), and her three girls, Silvia, Dorothea and Hannelore (Anna Laura), were hidden in the village of Crespano by the orphanage concierge. Her husband, engineer Giovanni Luccio di Sassari (aka Hans Walter Salomon Geschmay), found a place of refuge thanks to the Catholic priest Don Oddo Stocco.* He moved in with Ida Colbertaldo, who lived with her two sons Giovanino and Giuseppe and their families in San Zenone. During his stay, Hans helped with chores around the home. Whenever there were raids on the village, Hans went to hide either in the fields, with other families in the village, or with his wife and daughters in Crespano. When that happened, they Anna Laura would be to update Don Stocco that a change in hiding place had temporarily been made. Colbertaldo’s daughter-in-law, Maria Imelda Busatto Colbertaldo, later recalled many details of Hans’s stay with them. Ida ordered complete secrecy concerning her charge, and Hans was treated like a true member of the family. One day German soldiers came to confiscate part of their farm. Ida's son, Giusseppe, tried to object, but a German soldier drew a pistol to his head. Hans tried to intervene, speaking in German, but that only made the soldiers more suspicious of him. Luckily, at that moment the soldiers received an order to withdraw, and they left the farm. From time to time, Hans used to go to Don Stocco’s home to receive updates and news. Sometimes he would attend Mass to keep up his false pretense. Yet, he was a religious man and kept to his customs strictly. When the family cooked pork chops, Hans would ask, "Perhaps I can cook something else for myself today?” and thenmake himself an omelet or other simple foods. When the war was over, Hans kept in touch with the Colbertaldo family and helped them as much as possible. In 1955, Ida received a golden medal from the Jewish Community in Venice in appreciation of her help to Jewish families during the war. On December 1, 2010, Yad Vashem recognized Ida (Mozzachiodi) Colbertaldo as Righteous Among the Nations.