The Confessor

goes again," the rabbi said. "So straightforward, so blunt. No manners anymore."
    "I'd be happy to show you the altarpiece. I'll call when it's convenient."
    "You can reach me here anytime. Ciao."
    Rabbi Zolli escorted Gabriel into an office lined with sagging bookshelves. His collection of Judaica was impressive, and the stunning array of languages represented in the titles suggested that, like Gabriel, he was a polyglot. They sat in a pair of mismatched armchairs and the rabbi resumed where they had left off.
    "Your message said you were interested in discussing the Jews who took shelter during the war at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Brenzone."
    "Yes, that's right."
    I find it interesting that you should phrase your question in that manner."
    "Why is that?"
    "Because I've devoted my life to studying and preserving the history of Jews in this part of Italy, and I've never seen any evidence to suggest that Jews were provided sanctuary at that particular convent. In fact, the evidence suggests quite the opposite occurred-- that Jews requested sanctuary and were turned away."
    "You're absolutely sure?"
    "As sure as one can be in a situation like this."
    "A nun at the convent told me that a dozen or so Jews were provided sanctuary there during the war. She even showed me the rooms in a cellar where they hid."
    "And what is this good woman's name?"
    "Mother Vincenza."
    "I'm afraid Mother Vincenza is sadly mistaken. Or, worse, she's deliberately trying to mislead you, though I would hesitate to level such an accusation against a woman of faith."
    Gabriel thought of the late-night call to his hotel room in Bren-zone: Mother Vincenza is lying to you, the same way she lied to your friend.
    The rabbi leaned forward and laid his hand on Gabriel's forearm. "Tell me, Signor Delvecchio. What is your interest in this matter? Is it academic?"
    "No, it's personal."
    "Then do you mind if I ask you a personal question? Are you Jewish?"
    Gabriel hesitated, then answered the question truthfully.
    "How much do you know about what happened here during the war?" the rabbi asked.
    "I'm ashamed to say that my knowledge is not what it should be, Rabbi Zolli."
    "Believe me, I'm used to that." He smiled warmly. "Come with me. There's something you should see."
    THEY CROSSED the darkened square and stood before what appeared to be an ordinary apartment house. Through an open shade, Gabriel could see a woman preparing an evening meal in a small, institutional kitchen. In the next room, a trio of old women huddled round a flickering television. Then he noticed the sign over the door: casa israelitica di riposo. The building was a nursing home for Jews.
    "Read the plaque," the rabbi said, lighting a match. It was a memorial to Venetian Jews arrested by the Germans and deported during the war. The rabbi extinguished the match with a flick of his wrist and gazed through the window at the elderly Jews.
    "In September of 1943, not long after the collapse of the Mussolini regime, the German Army occupied all but the southernmost tip of the Italian Peninsula. Within days, the president of the Jewish community here in Venice received a demand from the SS: hand over a list of all Jews still living in Venice, or face the consequences."
    "What did he do?"
    "He committed suicide rather than comply. In doing so, he alerted the community that time was running out. Hundreds fled the city. Many took refuge in convents and monasteries throughout the north, or in the homes of ordinary Italians. A few tried to cross the border into Switzerland but were turned away."
    "But none at Brenzone?"
    "I have no evidence to suggest that any Jews from Venice--or anywhere else, for that matter--were given sanctuary at the Con-Vent of the Sacred Heart. In fact, our archives contain written testimony
    about a family from this community who requested sanctuary in Brenzone and were turned away."
    "Who stayed behind in Venice?"
    "The elderly. The sick. The poor who had no means to travel or pay bribes. On the night of December fifth, Italian police and Fascist gangs entered the ghetto on behalf of the Germans. One hundred and sixty-three Jews were arrested. Here, in the Casa di Riposo, they hauled the elderly from their beds and loaded them onto trucks. They were sent first to an internment camp at Fossoli. Then, in February, they were transferred to Auschwitz. There were no survivors."
    The rabbi took Gabriel by the elbow and together they walked slowly around the edge of the