Cesare Moisè Finzi (Ferrara, 1930), son of Enzo Finzi and Nella Rimini, was expelled from his Italian school because of the racial laws of 1938 and later studied at the Jewish school in Via Vignatagliata where his teachers included the writer Giorgio Bassani.
Together with his brother Renato, his father Enzo was the owner of the historic Profumeria Finzi in via Mazzini 61-63, a store widely known to the townspeople which, besides fragrances, also sold a wide selection of stationery. The bazaar was run by the brothers until 1938, when the racial laws were enacted prohibiting Jews from owning businesses. Therefore ownership of the business was transferred to Renato’s wife Berta Finzi, a Catholic, and thus the store remained open until 1943.
In 1943, after the armistice of September 8, the entire family decided to flee Ferrara in the hopes of quickly reaching southern Italy, where American troops could already be found. On their way, they were welcomed and protected by several families in the Romagna and Marche regions and thus they all survived the deportations.
Yad Vashem, the National Holocaust Remembrance Board in Jerusalem, has recognized the saviors of the Finzi family — Gino and Pina Muratori, along with Guido Morganti — as Righteous Among the Nations.
After the Liberation, the Finzi family decided to return to Ferrara where they reopened their store which once more became a focal point for the citizens of Ferrara.
Upon his return, Caesar graduated from high school and later received a degree in Medicine, specializing in Cardiology.
He currently lives in Faenza together with his wife Vera. He published the book “Qualcuno si è salvato. Ma nulla è stato più come prima” (Someone was saved. But nothing has been the same since) in which he recounts his experience to school students.
