Milan Jewish Leader Details Daily Security Threats and Unyielding Resolve
Dalia Gubbay, Vice President of the Jewish Community of Milan, details the severe antisemitism and daily security threats faced by Italian Jews since October 7, while affirming their unwavering resolve.
Dalia Gubbay, Vice President of the Jewish Community of Milan, stands on the front lines of public advocacy, defending educational institutions, liaising with government ministries, and proudly upholding the right of Italian Jews to live securely while supporting Israel. Yet beneath this public resolve lies the deeply personal anguish of a mother deeply concerned for her children's future amid a profoundly altered reality.
In a meeting alongside Israeli-Italian architect Yehiel Zubari, Gubbay speaks candidly. "I am a mother, I am Italian, and I am Jewish," she says. "I ask myself: why do our children have to go to school every day under heavy police escort? I have many non-Jewish friends, and when I tell them about our round-the-clock security, it sounds unimaginable to them. Even at the synagogue, after prayers, we cannot stand outside and calmly say 'Shabbat Shalom' or 'Chag Sameach'—the police immediately urge us: 'Come on, disperse, go.' We do not want to live like this forever, but we cannot do without security."
The Personal Anxiety of a Mother
This fear is far from theoretical. Gubbay experienced it firsthand when her son was targeted in an antisemitic incident during a Bnei Akiva summer camp in Bulgaria. "At first, I didn't fully understand what was happening. My son tried to calm me down, but when I grasped the full picture, my heart simply broke. Have we reached a point where we are afraid to send our children to Jewish youth activities abroad? This is completely unacceptable."
This dilemma deeply penetrates daily home life. Gubbay has an 18-year-old daughter, a passionate Zionist, in her final year of high school before entering academia. "She came to me crying and said: 'Mom, I don't know what to do. I am afraid to stay here, but I cannot imagine going to university and hiding the fact that I am Jewish. On the other hand, if I say I am Jewish, what will happen to me?' Seeing a young girl face such a dilemma, forced to choose between her identity and her personal safety, is heartbreaking."
Despite the anxieties, Gubbay refuses to bow her head. "I wear a Star of David on my finger and around my neck. My mother begs me: 'Please, don't walk around like that, it's dangerous.' But I refuse to take it off. To my children, however, I do say to be careful—not to walk around with visible kippahs or tzitzit, to wear a hat. As parents, we live under a constant cloud of worry."
The Jewish Community on the Front Lines
Milan's community numbers around 7,000 Jews—a rich mosaic of diverse origins including Tripolitanians, Iranians, Lebanese, Egyptians, and long-standing Italians, spread across some 20 synagogues and three community schools. Since the events of October 7, their peaceful routine has been shattered. Gubbay describes a reality of pervasive incitement, particularly within education and academia. She points to organized teacher networks under names like "Docenti per Gaza" (Teachers for Gaza), who attempted to turn the opening day of school into a one-sided protest platform. "We have an excellent relationship with Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who makes genuine efforts to investigate complaints and send inspectors, but it is very hard to control every school and classroom across Italy. One-sided messages are infiltrating everywhere."
One of the most harrowing moments for her occurred on April 25, Italy's Liberation Day from Nazism and fascism. "We were there to march with the banners of the Jewish Brigade, those who fought and shed their blood for Italy's liberation. And then protesters simply shouted at us: 'Get out of here, we don't want Jews here.' I stood there in absolute shock. I was born in Milan, this is my city. The police came and told us to leave for our own safety. I felt as though we had returned to the 1930s."
Fighting on Two Fronts
Ahead of the upcoming High Holidays, the threat level is being raised another notch. The community is coordinating visible and undercover security rings with local police. Yet despite the heavy concern, Gubbay emphasizes that Milan's Jews will not lock themselves indoors.
"We will not be afraid and we will not stay home. We will go to synagogues, celebrate proudly, and gather together. It is very important to me that the public in Israel knows: we are also waging a kind of war here. True, it is not the same war and people are not dying here as they are in Israel, but we are fighting daily for our identity, our right to support Israel, and the future of our children. Since October 7, I have been to Israel 11 times. Our connection to the country is in our soul, and despite the social costs and the fears that accompany us as mothers and leaders, we will not give up."
