Sereni, Enzo Chaim

(1905–44)

   War hero. Sereni was born into an old Roman Jewish family and became an enthusiastic Zionist, settling in Palestine in 1927, as one of the founders of Givat Brenner, a kibbutz in the southern coastal plain. In World War II he was the leader of a group of Palestinian Jews who volunteered to be dropped by parachute behind German lines in Europe, to carry out sabotage and rescue operations. Sereni was mistakenly dropped directly onto the German lines in Italy, was captured, deported and shot in Dachau. In 1951 his book on The Sources of Italian Fascism (written in Hebrew) was published. The kibbutz of Netzer Sereni was named after him. His widow, Ada, became active in organizing illegal immigration through Italy.