Italian priest posthumously named Righteous Among Nations

The local priest in a small town in northwest Italy has been named Righteous among Nations for saving a Jewish family during World War II.

Father Martino Michelone, who died in 1979, hid four members of the Segre family for nearly two years between 1943 and 1945 in Moransengo, near Turin.

Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Ghideon Meir, conferred the honor posthumously on Michelone, presenting the award to his relatives at a ceremony Sunday in Moransengo. Luciano Segre, who was sheltered by Michelone along with his parents and an aunt, attended the ceremony, as did local dignitaries and Jewish leaders.