Italian Judaica

Moses is shown having horns (left) or rays emanating from his head

There were many examples of Jews in Roman art. Most were biblical figures. Prophets were popular for church statuary. Common scenes were David (with and without the head of Goliath) and Judith with the head of Holofernes (severed or in the process of becoming so).

We saw Holocaust memorials in each of the major cities that we visited. Some were erected by the Jewish community, some by the government.
Below we describe what we found in several cities:

Ostia Antica: Although the town of Ostia Antica had been excavated for more than a century, it wasn't until 1961, while widening the road to Rome's airport, that the synagogue was discovered. Built at the end of the 1st century C.E. when Ostia had about 50,000 inhabitants, this is the oldest known synagogue in western Europe. [Ostia's population eventually reaches about 100,000.]

First-century synagogue in Ostia Antica

Compared with the Mithraic temple in the heart of town, the Ostia synagogue was much larger and more elaborate.

The Ostia synagogue is the excavation furthest from the entrance, so it is quite a hike.

We were surprised to discover that a modern art exhibit at the Ostia synagogue ruin was due to open a few days after our visit. "ARTEINMEMORIA 2009" exhibits the works of Jewish artists of the Diaspora. Workmen were finishing the installation while we were there. (After you access the "Arteinmemoria" website using my link, click on 'AVANTI' in the 'FOTOGALLERIA' to see 9 photos.) We discussed some of the works with museum staff members who were overseeing the installation. The non-Jewish staffers had questions for us when they realized that we were reading the Hebrew lettering on the artwork.

If there are some anachronistic items in our photos, such as the ladder with Hebrew lettering leaning against the Aron Kodesh (Holy Ark), know that they haven't been there for centuries. The ladder is one of the works of art.

Sarah (above) stands in the synagogue's entry room. The mikvah is to her right, the kitchen to her left.

Allen and Sarah (below left) stand before the Aron Kodesh.
Detail of the column caps flanking the Aron Kodesh. (below right)

Sarah reflects in front of the Aron Kodesh.
(A plastic bag covers a temporary piece of art.)

Venice: The term ghetto is from the Italian word for a foundry. The first ghetto was in Venice on an island where a foundry had been located.

One of the bridges of Gheto Novo (right)

Beginning in 1516, the Jewish community was restricted to an island. The bridges were locked at night and all residents, except for physicians, had to be in the Ghetto on pain of death. When leaving the Ghetto during the day, Jews were required to wear a distinctive article of clothing such as a red or yellow hat or scarf. [Photos of the Venice Ghetto.]

Our hotel was on an island adjacent to the Ghetto and we made short walks to the Ghetto several times. There are shops selling Judaica, kosher groceries & meat, a kosher bakery and kosher restaurants. There is a kosher hotel, a senior center and a Jewish museum which gives tours of several of the synagogues.

Two of the five original synagogues, all dating to the 1500s, are still in operation. I attended services in a recent store-front synagogue on the square operated by the Lubavitch and we toured three of the historic synagogues. The Spanish synagogue is Europe's oldest continuously functioning synagogue.

Unlike the ghettos in other Italian cities, most of the original Ghetto of Venice remains intact although the walls were torn down more than a century ago. Few of today's Ghetto area residents are Jewish; most of the Jews live elsewhere.

Venice 'skyscrapers'

Buildings are taller here than in other parts of the city. Since people could not move to other islands, they had to build up to accommodate increasing populations. Early 'skyscrapers': six stories.




Florence: There is nothing left of the Ghetto in Florence. The Great Synagogue of Florence, Tempio Maggiore, built after the emancipation of the Jews in the 1800s, boasts the second tallest dome in the city (after Il Duomo). The building's size and elaborate interior reflect the pride of the Jewish community in their new freedoms.

We saw a model of the Florence Ghetto in the museum which is part of the synagogue. As one might expect, the small ghetto became increasingly crowded as the population grew, but the walls did not expand. Like the Jews in Venice, they built up.

The 1800s Florence Synagogue is still in use.

Rome:




The Arch of Titus (left and below) celebrates the Roman conquest of Judea. The relief on the inner surface shows the spoils of the war being brought to Rome.

The Jewish captives shown on the relief became the slaves that built the Colosseum.









The Jewish presence in Rome date to 161 B.C.E.; the oldest in Europe.

Only a single street of housing from Rome's Ghetto remains and it is indistinguishable from other nearby housing. The Jews were required to sell their homes and move to a swampy area along the Tiber. They were not allowed to own their Ghetto homes but had to rent. A more recently built retaining wall protects the area from flooding today.

Jews of the Ghetto were only allowed a single synagogue. Since there were Jews of different traditions (Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Roman), five synagogues were built in a single building. That building, Cinque Scole (Five Synagogues), was torn down in 1908, a few years after the new Tempio Israelitico (right) was built.

Rome has the largest Jewish community in Italy. Several kosher restaurants and food shops are found in the piazza near the synagogue.

Most of Rome's Jews do not live in the area of the Ghetto. Half of Italy's 35,000 Jews live in Rome.










On the other side of the Tiber from the Ghetto, we found Rome's first synagogue (circa 1000 C.E.). It is now a restaurant. One can still see the Hebrew inscriptions on the columns (with binoculars). It was abandoned when the congregants were forced into the Ghetto 500 years later.













Siena: The small Jewish community still has its 1786 synagogue. There is a chazzan, but no rabbi. They rarely get a minyan.

Although elaborate on the inside, from the outside the synagogue appears to be just another building
in order to not attract attention.

There was no scheduled tour for that day, but the chazzan's wife was there and she showed us around. She was originally from Bologna and we had the opportunity to sit in the sanctuary and chat with her about Jewish life in Italy.

Pisa: We didn't look for the synagogue in Pisa, but we found the Cimitero Ebraica just outside of the city wall. There are two entrances from the Piazza dei Miracoli [Field of Miracles] where the leaning tower is located. The cemetery dates back to 1648 and is one of the oldest in Europe.