Dear friends, in these difficult times, we would like to send our thoughts to those whose lives have been disrupted by the pandemic, who were struck by the disease or live outside of the minimal safety net our society provides. To those who are confined at home, we wish good health, the opportunity to help others, and to receive the help they need.
To those who celebrate Pesach, Easter, and, in a few weeks, Ramadan, as well as any festivity of other religious calendars, we wish meaningful moments, and resonant connections to their traditions and loved ones.
At Centro Primo Levi, we have decided not to attempt to reproduce, in some online form, life as many knew it until two weeks ago. We continue to publish new books and articles while following the events so that we can participate in networks of solidarity with the means we have. Where we usually announced our public programs, we now offer a selection of short readings.
The spectacle that is unfolding in front of us hardly requires explanations. While some of us can stay home, others are out providing "essential" services at the risk of their lives. Should their services become less essential, they will have no means to support themselves and their lives will be equally at risk. While until recently, these invisible men and women were providing unlimited choices of goods and entertainment, today they are shielding others from possible death. In his writings, Primo Levi warned us against a modern form of slavery, which he observed in the isolation of the Auschwitz laboratory.
There are times, perhaps this is one, when people can lay the foundation of change. The way in which we act today, our fears, and our resolve will determine the world in which we will live tomorrow. Those who are lucky to be able to pause, can take this time to consider if what we have regarded as "normal" until yesterday, is truly desirable or unavoidable.
In our city, New York, many people are ill or dying, many more are working tirelessly, others are losing jobs, not able to pay their rent, their bills, or put a meal on the table. This is a city of extraordinary wealth but also of great frailty. Relatively small adjustments can make an enormous difference.
We hope is that all who can, will give up what is necessary to keep others afloat as only a progressive scale-down of the economy will avoid greater disruption. While we continue to rely on institutions and infrastructure, where many knowledgeable and dedicated individuals are working relentlessly, we may also revisit our myths about the idea of "leadership," whose flaws and limitations are amply documented in history.
Life is a collective endeavor, which may be better served by the ideas of cooperation and exchange.
Each one of us can do a small bit within his or her reach. In order to undertake this journey, test uncharted territories, and discover new forms of living together, we may want to rethink the idea of returning to the past —there is no going back— and challenge our own humanity in the face of the silence and distance that has been brought upon us.
We thank all of the people who, over two decades, have contributed ideas, life and warmth to Centro Primo Levi and invite all to continue the travel together.
![Primo Levi at 100: If This Is a Man [trailer]](https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/thumbnail?url=https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/793540520.jpg?mw=1920&mh=1080&q=70)