In this book Guri Schwartz explores the genesis of the 'myth of the good Italian'. This myth was deliberately promoted by the Italian Foreign Ministry, which aimed in this way to obtain a non-punitive peace treaty by distancing the nation from German guilt. Through in-depth research he illustrates how Italian Jews, in their efforts to reintegrate in the country after the Second World War, contributed to give shape and offer legitimacy to a representation of Fascist persecutions which drastically downplayed Italian responsibilities in the Holocaust.

In addition, this book focuses on community reconstruction and social reintegration, and is the first overall history of post-war Italian Jewry between 1945 and 1961.