A memory my father recalls from speaking to his father was how he loved the time he spent in Italy during his music and medical studies. He regarded it as one of the best time periods in his life.

As we did not know many details about the time Chaimas spent in Italy, we decided to dig deeper in our research, to discover more information about his time there.

Documents we received from the Lithuanian State Archives revealed that in 1933, after attending two years at the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas studying Biology followed by 1st year of medical studies, Chaimas requested his university transcripts from the rector of the university. We assume it was in order for him to apply to medical school in Italy. Why did he decide to move and study in Italy? Perhaps it was due to Italy’s interest, at the time, in bringing more foreign students to their universities providing excellent opportunities for them there. This was especially appealing to Jewish students who were feeling the anti-semitic tension in their own countries, especially those in Eastern Europe.

Later that year Chaimas left the university in Kaunas and moved to Italy to study medicine. He attended his second year of medical studies in Pisa university. A year later he moved to Bologna and continued his medical studies there for four years (1934 - 1938).

At the university of Bologna, Chaimas met Binyamin Weinstein (Beniamino Wajnsztejn) who came from Grajewo, Poland to study medicine in Italy as well. They became very close friends.

In spite of the ongoing tension in Italy against foreign Jewish students, on the 2nd of July 1938 Chaimas graduated from Bologna university and received his medical degree. We recently received all his transcripts and certificates from the Bologna University Archives.

University of Bologna Graduation Certificate

In parallel to his medical studies in Bologna, Chaimas studied music in the Music Academy. Online information from the International Museum and Music Library of Bologna confirmed that Chaimas Kobrinas was a violin and viola student in Bologna between 1937-1938. His teacher during those years was Materassi, Alessandro.

Music remained an essential part of his life.

A picture of Chaimas Kobrinas with his violin, taken in Bologna.

Two years after leaving Kaunas, Chaimas was informed that his father was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Chaimas, who was 21 years old at the time, organised that his fathers’s surgery would take place at the Jewish Hospital in Berlin. He traveled from Italy to Berlin during his 4th year of medical studies, to be with his father during this difficult time. Unfortunately, Itsik died on the 25th of August 1935 during surgery. Chaimas organised his father’s funeral in Berlin-Weissensee Jewish cemetery on the 26th of August 1935. Itsik was 44 years old.

A map from the Berlin-Weisensee cemetery indicating where the grave of Itsik Kobrinas is located.

While in Berlin, Chaimas realised that the situation for the Jews was becoming extremely bad with the rise of the Nazis. It was also clear to him that after the death of Itsik there would not be any income for Chava and Leonas (Arie). As a result Chaimas urged Chava to sell the coin shop in Kaunas and leave to Palestine with Leonas (Arie). Chava followed his instructions and on the 29th of December 1935 they arrived in Palestine. Luckily, they left Lithuania at the right time. More than 95% of Lithuania's Jewish population was massacred over the three-year German occupation.

Photo of Chava and Leonas (Arie) Kobrinas, 1935.

During further research we discovered interesting information documented in the book by the historian Prof Gian Paolo Brizzi, published in 2002: “Bologna 1938: Silence and Remembering- The racial laws and the foreign Jewish students at the University of Bologna”. In his book, Prof Brizzi retraced the story of 490 foreign Jewish students who came to Italy to study in Bologna between 1935 and 1940. Many of them came to study in Italy due to the favourable conditions offered to foreign students there. At that time, in response to anti Jewish legislation laws many foreign Jewish students decided to immigrate to Italy from the Eastern European countries with the hope to find a safe haven. Among the names mentioned in this book were two students: Chaimas Kobrinas and Beniamino Wajnsztejn.

From January 1938, things changed drastically. The university of Bologna deprived its scholars of scientific support and the foreign jewish student population was discriminated against. From August 1938 admission of Jewish students was not allowed, some students who were close to graduation were allowed to graduate, but others were either sent back to their countries, or left Italy on their own. Those who came from countries that were at war with Italy were arrested and eventually sent to Nazi concentration camps.

Gian Paolo Brizzi succeeded in commemorating the memory of those foreign Jewish students at the University of Bologna who fell victim to these ignored events during this tragic period.

This week we got in touch by email with Prof Brizzi. After explaining to him the purpose of our research he wrote us back that he will send us a copy of the book at the end of August.

We believe that the events in Italy triggered the move of Chaimas and Binyamin to Palestine in 1938. During this time Binyamin convinced his family in Poland to leave and emigrate to Palestine as well. This also included his sister, Malka Weinstein. Clearly they all left at the right time!

Chaimas arrived in Palestine on his own on the 28th of July 1938 on the Esperia passenger ship. It was the start of a whole new chapter in his life, in the hope of finding a safe haven.

The search continues…

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