Hitler can't and won't be able to just dump millions of Jews on the other side of the alps. The question is, would Mussolini agree to anything of the sort if Hitler asked? Jews being sent to Libya is probably not preferable (that's Italy's Fourth Shore!) but instantly massively altering the demographics of the Ethiopian Highlands may have some appeal.What if Germany had deported all Jews to Italy colonies in WW2, and Italy was neutral?
Skilled Jewish refugees would find jobs in factories Italy is using to sell goods to both sides.
I could see Jewish agricultural workers being settling in Ethiopia or even Albania.
A lot of refugees would be encouraged to book passage to other countries wherever possible.
...and Italy was neutral?
Also helps with the whole 'ancient lineage of Rome' thing. Maybe he also plays it up for propaganda in Ethiopia, which claimed itself as the descendants of King David and the Queen of Sheba. They had propaganda posters in the area giving Mussolini a different facial structure that looked more like locals, so it wouldn't be too out of bounds.It depends on what your point of divergence is; if Italy was significantly neutral, never signing the Pact of Steel, then Mussolini would have had no reason to introduce the Nuremburg race laws into Italy, laws that were highly unpopular with both the Italian people in general and within the Fascist party itself, where Italy’s Jews were disproportionately represented and made up a significant portion of the upper echelon.
If that were the case then Mussolini would have welcomed Jewish immigration from Germany, just as he did welcome Austrian Jews fleeing the Anschluss; Mussolini himself considered Jews to be highly intelligent and hardworking people; his dentist, personal physician, family doctor and the heart specialist he had treat his brother-in-law, were all Jewish, as were the authors who wrote the only two authorised biographies of the Fascists leader. With Italy scrambling to catch up industrially, such refugees with a broad range of skills would have been greatly valued.
... But yes, the Germans can hardly get any ships with Jews over to Libya without actually invading Yugoslavia, Italy, or getting them to agree shipping them through there.
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Perhaps if the American Jewish Committee contributed to their transportation and upkeep, a sizable amount could be hosted in East Africa.
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Way to underfunded to attempt anything like that. Maybe a token group.
Well it's not all that out there.Last but not least, could their permanence, however temporary, affect the country's ideological leaning? If fascism is not as discredited as in OTL, would Israel tilt more that way?
Mussolini himself considered Jews to be highly intelligent and hardworking people; his dentist, personal physician, family doctor and the heart specialist he had treat his brother-in-law, were all Jewish, as were the authors who wrote the only two authorised biographies of the Fascists leader.
I don't know how much political clout Jewish interest groups had at the time.
Any chance they could influence the government or private industry to effect some economic benefit to offset for that expense?
No. Never going to happen.
Don't think in terms of "Jews". Think in terms of "foreigners". Which country, in the late 1930s, would stomach allowing in some 4 million foreigners in say 8 years? None. Not an enlightened, progressive, multi-national country. Not to mention a country ruled by a Fascist, i.e. hyper-nationalist, regime.
For all it mattered, they could have been no Jews at all, good Catholics, well educated, speaking Italian, and being a valuable and healthy manpower pool. They'd still be a bunch of Germans, Poles and Ukrainans. No go. It's actually worth a removal to the ASB subforum, IMHO.
Which country, in the late 1930s, would stomach allowing in some 4 million foreigners in say 8 years?