Arrivederci—Shalom! A True Story recounts a quintessential American story in two sections, linked by love—Dom Rizzi’s love for Sema, and his love for the law. This is a true story of an Italian/Catholic boy that embraced and adopted the Jewish culture of his new neighborhood as he was growing up, and he married a beautiful Jewish girl. With her love and support, he became a lawyer and an Appellate Court judge. As part of his story, Dom relates how some of his appellate court cases came about. Enjoy this inspiring love story coupled with Dom’s exciting judicial career.

About the Author

Dom Rizzi was a trial and appellate lawyer for sixteen years before becoming a trial judge, hearing jury trials. As a trial and appellate lawyer, he tried thirty-nine cases to jury verdicts, and prepared as lead counsel over one hundred appeals in both state and appellate courts.

In 1978 he became a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, a position he held until his retirement from the judiciary at the end of 1996. He was also a part-time teacher at Loyola University Law School, Chicago, and at the University of Illinois, Chicago. During that time he was also an author and lecturer on law and social issues.

Dom and his wife, Sema, have been married for over 68 years. They have two children, Michelle and Steven, both of whom became lawyers. Unfortunately, Steven passed away in 2017. Dom and Sema have three grandchildren, Brittany, Sheridan, and Rachael. Brittany is a physician who received her medical degree from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Sheridan worked at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a student at Northwestern University to receive a PhD degree in neuroscience. Rachael is a second-year student at the University of Southern California. Dom and Sema live in Lincolnshire, Illinois.