Italian Jewish Community Condemns Online Form Targeting Jews and Israelis as 'New Yellow Badge'

The Jewish community in Italy has expressed deep outrage over the circulation of an anonymous online form that called for reporting the presence of Jews, Israelis, or "Zionists" in hotels, vacation rentals, and businesses across the country. The stated purpose of the form was to "map Zionist tourism" in Italy. Following intervention by General Pasquale Angelosanto, Italy's official responsible for combating antisemitism, the form was removed from the internet.

Jewish leaders strongly condemned the initiative. Victor Padelon, head of Rome's Jewish community, described it as "simply shocking" and urged all political parties and social bodies to denounce it, warning it amounted to a "real manhunt" based on religious identity or perceived ties to Israel. Walter Magnagi, leader of Milan's Jewish community, likened the initiative to a "hunt for Jews" reminiscent of the 1930s persecution atmosphere and reported the materials to authorities demanding judicial intervention. He cautioned that such lists could inspire copycats and provide targets for extremist groups.

Livia Ottolenghi, president of the Union of Jewish Communities in Italy, called the incident a "step up in antisemitism" and referred to the mapping as a "new yellow badge." She noted the form also aimed to mark "Zionist settlements on Italian soil," alluding to the 1938 racial laws. Ottolenghi criticized the "deafening silence of Italian civil society" and stressed this was not an isolated case. Political condemnation also came from Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa, who called the act a violation of basic civil rights rooted in "deep antisemitism" that must be firmly rejected. Parties in Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition joined in the denunciation.

The controversy highlights rising concerns about antisemitism in Italy and the dangers posed by attempts to publicly identify and stigmatize Jewish individuals and communities based on their identity or political affiliations.