Mr Denis Passalent Shares Holocaust Research at MHM

Some stories are buried not by time, but by silence. When Mr Denis Passalent began tracing the life of a Jewish family from Northeast Italy, he wasn’t just uncovering a history—he was giving it a voice.

On Saturday 23 March, Mr Denis Passalent, Faculty Head of Languages at Mazenod College, presented “A Jewish Family in Northeast Italy: A Story Rediscovered” at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum’s Judy & Leon Goldman Learning Centre. The event drew a full audience, gathered to hear a story that, until recently, had been left untold.

Photos taken by Max Orteg

The Gentilli family once lived quiet, purposeful lives. Moisè Vittorio Gentilli, born in 1894, followed in his father’s footsteps as a grocer in a small village before moving with his wife, Norma Stella Colombo, to Venice, where they managed the local Jewish Nursing Home. In December 1943, their lives were shattered. Caught while trying to escape to Switzerland, they were arrested alongside five relatives. In February 1944, they were deported to Auschwitz. None of them returned.

For Mr Passalent—himself born in Udine, not far from where the Gentillis lived—this wasn’t just a historical inquiry. It was personal. “Their life and their tragedy must not be forgotten,” he said. What began as a single thread of curiosity became a determined journey to honour a family erased by war.

The presentation combined meticulous research with deep compassion. Drawing on his background in linguistics, literature, and Holocaust studies, Mr Passalent brought the Gentilli family’s story back to life—not just with facts, but with feeling. He reminded the audience that history is not a collection of dates and places, but of lives once lived, and choices made in the face of unthinkable cruelty.

In telling their story, Mr Passalent gave something precious back to the Gentilli family: memory. And to those in the room—he gave a reason to remember.