In Milan, Jewish 54-year-old father of 4 dies of coronavirus

Giorgio Sinigaglia remembered for volunteering in his Jewish community, his generosity and his wry sense of humor

By Cnaan Liphshiz 24 March 2020, 9:37 pm

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Cnaan Liphshiz was a Jewish World reporter at The Times of Israel

Giorgio Sinigaglia attending the writing of a Torah scroll in Milan, Italy. (Courtesy of the Jewish Community of Milan)

JTA — Giorgio Sinigaglia, a father of four and an engineer, was being remembered for volunteering in his Milan Jewish community, his generosity and his wry sense of humor after dying of the coronavirus.

The Jewish Community of Milan, the city’s Jewish communal life organization, reported his passing on Monday.

Dozens eulogized the 54-year-old Sinigaglia on the website’s article about his death following several days of fever and respiratory distress.

“He played everything down,” his longtime friend Francesco Ceserani wrote.

Micol Naccache also remembered his hospitality, including the time he invited friends without family in Milan to attend the Passover seder with his wife and four kids.

The report about Sinigaglia’s passing did not specify how and when he will be buried.

Last week, Michele Sciama, a former secretary-general of the Jewish Community of Milan, also died of the disease.

Italy has had more than 6,000 fatalities from the virus, more than any country in Europe. Inside Italy, the epicenter of COVID-19 has been the Lombardy region, whose capital is Milan.