“He was the leader of the Jewish community”

Less than seven months after her death, the municipality pays tribute to Evelyn Oate, a symbol of Judaism in Palermo, but also the owner of the wedding dress operator, Lou Gee de Valentino, He passed away on March 30, at the age of 81. The Diplomatic Chamber of the Municipal Historical Archive, located on Makeda Road, will be named after her.

This is what was stipulated in the decision of Mayor Roberto Lagala on 11 October last. The idea came from the municipal administration, again led by Luluca Orlando, immediately after the death of “Mrs. Evelyn”, as all the customers called her, in search of a formal dress, and they entered her store via Ruggiero Settimo. The app promoted by Palazzo delle Aquile was followed by approvals, last April, by the Committee on Toponyms, and in June, by the Cultural Heritage Control Authority. On the basis of these, Lagalla is now asking the county for an exemption to define the practice given that the ten years following death, the period established by law for the designation, have not lapsed. But the Whitaker Palace seal shouldn’t be a problem.

Thus Evelyne Aoaute’s name will remain imprinted in one of the most fascinating places of culture in Palermo. A worthy tribute to the woman who founded the Sicilian Institute for Jewish Studies in Palermo in the 1990s. In the island’s capital, Evelyn Oate has just arrived with her family, after she was forced to leave Algeria and lived for a while in Paris.

Already in her life, “Mrs. Evelyn” received recognition for her commitment to the field of religious integration: in November 2017, in fact, Then-Mayor Orlando gave her a precious facilitation mosaicand emphasized how women represent “the history of Judaism, their connection to many places and their being faithful to the millennium tradition” also thanks to the Institute of Jewish Studies “a place and an instrument for promoting the encounter between the various monotheistic religions from an ecumenical perspective, consistent with the traditions and history of Palermo and Sicily”.