Page 220 - GQ 12

Personal recollections of Bruno 11*

the small village of Santo Stefano Roero in the province of Cuneo in the
Piedmont region (born May 14, 1949), came into contact with the Hebrew
language for the first time. The story also reveals something of the character
of his family and the values with which he grew up. When Bruno was
perhaps twelve or thirteen years old, he climbed up to his home’s attic to
play. An attic is always an interesting place for a child to play for it is there
that all manner of old things no longer useful are stored. A child can find
treasures in an attic. And indeed, Bruno found a sort of treasure. He found
there a book written in strange characters that he did not recognize. A curious
child, Bruno took the book to the village priest hoping that the priest would
be able to reveal to him the nature of the book. The priest informed him that
the book was printed in Hebrew characters and that it was a Jewish book of
prayers. Bruno asked the priest to teach him how to read the book and in this
manner, Bruno began his path as a scholar of Hebrew and Semitic languages.

He wondered, however, how the Jewish Siddur had come to be in his
attic. His father told him that at various times during World War II, his family
had hid Jewish families in their attic and that one of these families had left
the Siddur. Bruno told me further that his father opposed the Fascists and
the Nazis and was active with the partisans, as were many in the village
and in the Piedmont area in general. When the German army was retreating
northwards from Italy, part of the army passed through the area around his
village, and the Germans took one third of the village’s men and murdered
them in revenge. Bruno’s father had the good fortune to not be in the village
on that day.

Bruno accordingly was raised with the values of assistance to those in
need, charity and justice. Bruno Chiesa the erudite scholar and warm friend
will be sorely missed.