September 3: Jews in the World’s Oldest Republic

San Marino, the world’s oldest existing constitutional republic, was founded on this date in 301 by Marinus the Dalmatian, a stonemason and early Christian. San Marino is the only surviving microstate within the borders of Italy. It lies near the Adriatic Sea, measures 24 square miles, and has a population of 30,000. San Marino served as a safe harbor for more than 100,000 Italians, including many Jews, during World War II. After declaring war on Britain in support of fascist Italy in 1940 (Britain didn’t bother reciprocating), San Marino became neutral when Italy surrendered in 1943. The Allies nevertheless bombed the country in June, 1944, causing heavy damage to the railway line and straining the country’s resources for the relief of its swollen refugee population. After the war, San Marino became the only country in Western Europe to be ruled by an elected socialist-communist coalition government, until 1957, when Italy helped in its overthrow. There has been a small Jewish presence in the country for at least six hundred years. Giuseppe Garibaldi, the great Italian patriot, received refuge from the Austrians in San Marino in 1849. Angelo Donati, an Italian Jew active in saving Jews in Nazi-occupied France and in Italy, was appointed the Italian ambassador to San Marino immediately after the war.
“There were 683 hotel rooms in 2003, with 1,549 beds. The average length of stay was 1.5 nights that year. In 2005, the US Department of State estimated the daily cost of travel in San Marino at $227.” —Encyclopedia.com