George Allen and the Lumbroso Code

The problem is not AllenG��s grandparentsG�� religion G�� a trivial but legitimate subject of historical interest -- but in the way in which he has dealt with this subject, as if it were somehow a skeleton in his closet. He has continually attempted to evade and obfuscate the question since it was posed -- in a Jewish newspaper -- some time ago. Now, to justify his implausible claim of ignorance, he has trotted out his octogenarian mother to issue a touching but equally unsatisfactory apologia.

What it boils down to: AllenG��s grandfather Felix Lumbroso (AllenG��s grandmother, FelixG�� wife, seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle), a Jewish Tunisian businessman with ancient family ties to Italy, suffered a terrible experience during World War II. He was GǣincarceratedGǥ or GǣimprisonedGǥ by the GǣNazis.Gǥ
So terrible was this experience, the story goes, that his daughter, AllenG��s mother, resolved to never tell her children of the reason for his incarceration, or to fend off their questions with vague generalities. So Allen grew up believing that G�� in his reported words, on various occasions G�� Felix Lumbroso had been incarcerated by the Nazis Gǣbecause of his prominent position,Gǥ or because he had been an GǣAllied sympathizer,Gǥ or because he had been a Gǣmember of the Free French resistanceGǥ or the Gǣanti-Nazi resistance,Gǥ or even because he had espoused Gǣeconomic freedomGǥ! Never, apparently, was George told G�� nor did he guess -- the most obvious reason for his grandfatherG��s incarceration: because he was Jewish.

Obviously, having her father hauled away by Nazis in 1942 or 1943 could be a terribly traumatic experience for a young girl. Still, a glimpse into the situation of Jews in Tunisia during that period is enlightening. To begin with, Tunisian Jews were G�� with a handful of exceptions G�� not subjected to the absolute horrors befalling their coreligionaries in northern Europe. The GǣNazisGǥ G�� that is, the German army G�� occupied Tunisia only during 1942-43, and were frantically engaged on the military front; the GǣJewish questionGǥ was not a priority. Only a handful of the populace G�� mostly Italian-Tunisians G�� welcomed the arrival of the Axis troops. At the same time, Tunisian Jews (and particularly French and Italian-Tunisian Jews) were generally protected from extreme exactions by the local authorities: the Vichy French administration, the Italian military and the Moslem Bey of Tunis. Of a population of many thousands, only about 20 Tunisian Jews were transported to the European death camps. Many more G�� perhaps 10,000 G�� were conscripted into forced labor, and were sent to camps (Bizerte being the largest and most harsh) or to private farms or factories.

There was a small but active Resistance in Tunisia. Published records show that at least two members of the extended Lumbroso family were active in the Tunisian resistance, with one of them, Lucien Lambroso, being decorated with the Croix de Guerre after the war. But AllenG��s grandfather Felix is nowhere mentioned in these records.

So why was Felix incarcerated? Because he advocated Gǣeconomic freedomGǥ? Preposterous! Because he was an GǣAllied sympathizerGǥ? Perhaps; but then, large numbers of Tunisians were Allied sympathizers in one form or another. Because he was a member of the Resistance? There is no record of this.

Most probably Felix was simply one of the thousands of able-bodied Jews (and others) who were conscripted into forced labor camps and who, when the Axis occupation collapsed in 1943, simply walked back to their homes. But is this a reason for traumatized silence?

There is yet another possibility. It is reported that the Felix Lumbroso family was at that time TunisiaG��s leading importer of wines and spirits, including the famed Cinzano label. As such, the firm could only have had dealings with its traditional suppliers in Vichy France and Fascist Italy. These Lumbrosos would have been G�� in the broadest sense of the term G�� GǣcollaboratorsGǥ with the Axis occupiers. Upon arriving in Tunisia, the triumphant Allies promptly (if briefly) incarcerated a number of Tunisian collaborators G�� mostly Italian G�� in the same labor camps that had weeks before been occupied by Jewish conscripts. Did this fate befall Felix Lumbroso? Is this the skeleton in the closet? There is absolutely no evidence for this, but the confusion of AllenG��s statements opens the door to endless speculation.

In short, it seems that George and his parents engaged in a lifelong GǣdonG��t ask G�� donG��t tellGǥ conspiracy. Etty has since made her true motivation clear. It was not the trauma of her fatherG��s wartime experience that kept her silent. It was, sadly, more mundane than that: fifty years ago, large numbers of Americans were still blatantly racist and openly anti-Semitic. EttyG��s relationship with her prospective husbandG��s family and his career prospects could and probably would have been harmed by disclosure of her Jewish heritage. And so, from her own instincts and at George Sr.G��s urging, she kept mum. Hardly uncommon and by no means morally reprehensible.

All of this makes sense. And George Jr.G��s studied ignorance of his family history begins to fall into place: he is, after all, his motherG��s son. But his professions of ignorance contain a huge dose of implausibility: is he the Bubble Boy? Has he been kept in clinical isolation from his extended and extensive Lumbroso family through all of these decades? No contact, no conversations with aunts, uncles, cousins? I can tell you outright, and from experience, that it is impossible for a grown man to be unaware of the religion of half of his familyGǪespecially if it is a Jewish half!

The final explanation is elsewhere. In fact, residual anti-Semitism is far from dead in this country and, while it might no longer hurt so much to be Jewish, it still helps to be Gentile, especially if one is a low-level politician courting a white Southern constituency behind a cowboy persona. This approach turns out to be short-sighted, however, if the politician happens to have nationwide and presidential ambitions: sooner or later his family background G�� like that of John Kerry or Wesley Clark or Madeleine Albright G�� is doomed to come under the microscope. Allen should have realized that long ago. His past failure to deal with an impending problem and his current catastrophic attempts at damage control are not an encouraging sign of political competence or moral fiber.

Historical addendum:

It appears that George Allen will soon begin calling himself a Holocaust victim. In a recent development, Allen quotes his mother as having asked him: "Are they going to be putting gold stars on you?" It should be noted that, due to Italian insistence, the Jews of Tunis -- Mrs. Allen's home -- were specifically exempted from the requirement to wear the Star of David during the Axis occupation.

Yet another historical addendum:

The delightful photograph accompanying this commentary shows "native" North African Jews wearing what I believe is traditional Arab or Turkish garb. The Lumbrosos, who arrived in Tunisia from Italy -- probably Livorno -- as early as the late 17th Century, belonged to a distinct "Europeanizing" social grouping that wore European dress (including powdered wigs, while they were in fashion...but no cowboy boots!)

Let me finish this commentary by saying that, from an amateur historian's perspective, I view the historical Lumbroso family's millenial peregrination around and across the Mediterranean basin with immense respect and great fascination. Over centuries, Lumbrosos have made significant contributions to the history of Tunisia and are still today well-represented in many areas of European intellectual and cultural life.

Comments