Italians mark 70th anniversary of deportation of Rome's Jews to Auschwitz A ceremony has been held in Rome's main synagogue to mark the 70th anniversary of the deportation of the city's Jews. On October 16 1943 more than 1,100 Jews were taken from Rome and deported to Auschwitz. Only 16 of them survived. The anniversary comes just a day after a funeral for Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke was halted because of clashes between neo-nazis and protestors. The Mayor of Rome Ignazio Marino told those gathered at the synagogue, including Italy's president and the Chief Rabbi, that he could "not allow the farewell to a Nazi criminal to become a platform for Holocaust denial." He went on to say that "Rome was at the heart of the Italian resistance movement and as well as being deeply anti-Nazi and anti-fascist, it could never be the stage for neo-nazi puppets whose heads are as empty as they are shaven."