L’Archivio del Commissariato Generale dell’Emigrazione (Part II)

Authored by Michael Tomaselli

Figure 1 “Archive of the General Commission of Immigration (Part 2) and the General Directorate of Foreign Italians” – Finding Aid, Center of Migration Studies of New York, CMS.034

The Commissariato Generale dell’Emigratione (General Commission of Immigration) was founded on the 10th of January 1901(“Storiadigitale Zanichelli Percorso Site,” n.d.). The goal, in conjunction with the Direzione Generale degli Italiani all’Estero (General Directorate of Foreign Italians was to regulate the transmission of ideas into the country that might destabilize the regime and to protect citizens abroad. With Italian Unification ending in 1870, the Italian regime had to use every possible way to control its citizens in this nebulous time. Italy saw the world changing. Connections were being made faster than neurons firing. However, Italy saw the misfires as well. Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1884, ending with the line, “Workers of the World, Unite,” while witnessing the wildfire of social revolutions and reforms take shape across Europe(Marx, Engels, and Toews 1999, 96). Regimes fell, splintered, and reformed; and Italy was determined not to succumb. In order to do this, the government tried to barricade against the rising tide of the social agenda. Continue reading

Sunrise Bavarian Village

Authored by Kelly K. Ronayne

Menu, program and lyrics to songs at Sunrise Bavarian Village

Menu, program and lyrics to songs at Sunrise Bavarian Village

Sunrise Bavarian Village

 I was tasked with organizing many of the boxes that were left for the Bellmore Historical Association.  As I weeded through the material, I came across a unique looking, pamphlet in the shape of a beer stein.  As I opened it, I noticed it contained photographs of a restaurant and entertainment hall with the entertainers in traditional German garb. In addition to this, song lyrics are given to both English and German songs. There was a notation of September 4, 1936 hand written and I wondered, what is this place? Continue reading