Postscript to "Day Leave in Rome"

One of the stories that I posted on the BBC WW2 site was entitled
Day Leave in Rome and I beg your indulgence while I add a ‘postscript’ to that tale.

In the story, I mention visiting the Forum and I certainly remember being fascinated by the Arch of Titus with its unique frieze portraying Roman soldiers carrying the loot that they took from the Temple in Jerusalem.
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In May 2005, I took advantage of the “Hero’s Return’ scheme to re-visit Rome and Monte Cassino and Nita took the above snap of me back at the Forum.

Since then I have carried out some further research concerning the Arch and learned that because it was a such terrible reminder of the destruction of the Temple and the massacre of the Jewish population it had been a Jewish custom since the Roman times that no Jew should walk under the Arch.

I was delighted to learn that this convention was broken for the first time in 1948 (when the State of Israel was first created) because the Jews of Rome actually paraded under the Arch to demonstrate their solidarity with the newly found State.