Римнің бас раввинінің католик дініне өтуі

Chief rabbi of Rome, Italy, later converted to Catholicism

Eugenio Maria Zolli (27 September 1881 ‒ 2 March 1956), born Israel Anton Zoller, was an Austrian by birth, and an Italian doctorate professor of philosophy and author. Until his conversion from Judaism to Catholicism in February 1945, Zolli was the chief rabbi in Rome, Italy's Jewish community from 1940 to 1945. After the war, he taught philosophy at a number of institutions throughout Rome including the Sapienza University of Rome and Pontifical Biblical Institute. Zolli is noted for his admiration of Pope Pius XII during World War II, who gave support and shelter to Zolli and other Jews during Nazi Germany's occupation of Italy from 1943 to 1944. It was later revealed that Zolli hid in a number of places in both Rome and the Vatican City State.

Zoller was born in 1881 the city of Brody in then Austria Hungary, which from 1918 to 1945 was in eastern Poland, and currently is in western Ukraine. He was the youngest of five children, with three brothers and a sister. Zoller's father was a formerly wealthy factory owner, and his mother came from a family dynasty of rabbis. He earned a doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of Florence in Italy. At the same time, he prepared for the rabbinate at a nearby yeshiva. In 1917, Zoller's first wife, Adele, died. In 1920, he married his second wife, Eva Majonica. She was born in the town of Gorizia, in northeast Italy. In 1918, he was appointed rabbi of the Italian city of Trieste, whose territory had just been transferred from Austria Hungary to Italy. He changed his surname to "Zolli" to make it sound more Italian. Italian fascist leaders began excluding Italian Jews from social welfare programs, including financial support and schooling, throughout the 1930s and denigrated them in the press. A vicious press campaign by the fascists forced out the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Davide Prato. In December 1939, Zolli was named as chief rabbi of Rome with the support of fascist leaders. Zolli had conflict with his congregants in Rome from the start. Zolli's presiding style in delivering the liturgy was more casual than they preferred, and he was more interested in academic inquiry than pastoral work or community leadership. There were disputes over salary and expectations. During this time, Zolli formed a friendship with Jesuit scholar Augustin Bea.

After Zolli and his wife converted to Catholicism, he was employed at the Sapienza University of Rome and Pontifical Biblical Institute. In 1956, he became seriously ill and entered the hospital, where he reportedly revealed to a nun that he would die on the first Friday of the month at 3:00 in the afternoon. On 2 March 1956, Zolli received Holy Communion in the morning, eventually drifted into coma, and died, as he predicted, at 3:00 P. M. on the first Friday of the month. He was 74. He is buried at Campo Verano cemetery in Rome, Italy. "In the Old Testament, Justice is carried out by one man towards another We do good for good received; we do harm for harm we have suffered at the hands of another. Not to do injury for injury is, in a certain fashion, to fall short of justice. What a contrast with the Gospel: Love your enemies pray for them, or even Jesus' last words on the cross: 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing!' All this stupefied me. The New Testament is, in fact, an altogether new Covenant". (Eugenio Zolli)