Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

April 27th, 2015 - Iyar 7th, 5775

Tun Sie es auch
By Guido Vitale*

"Die Besetzung der arabischen Gebiete nach dem Krieg von 1967 ist ein fataler politischer und vor allem ein gesellschaftlicher Fehler, der Israels Identität als jüdischer Staat zunehmend gefährdet. Israel wird strategische Kompromisse und Risiken mit den Palästinensern eingehen müssen, um seine Zukunft zu sichern. Es gibt vieles zu kritisieren in Israel, dies wird glücklicherweise hier wie dort getan. Aber an dem Lebensrecht des jüdischen Staates darf unter keinen Umständen gerüttelt werden. Wenn das geschieht, dann verlieren die Länder der demokratischen Welt ihren Anstand. Auch daher stehe ich zu Israel. Tun Sie es auch”.
(Rafael Seligman, Berlin)

*Guido Vitale is the editor-in-chief of Pagine Ebraiche.
 
“A Great Italian”
By Daniela Gross

The beloved memory of Rabbi Elio Toaff, chief rabbi of Rome for half a century and leader of Italian Jewry during its revival after World War II, immediately crossed the ocean. The New York Times reported his death on Monday, through a long essay by Bruce Weber, which accurately detailed his story and life achievements.

After having recalled Rabbi Toaff's involvement in the partisan fight and his capture by Nazis, the journalist framed his experience in the Italian Jewish historical scenario. “After the war he served as chief rabbi of Venice, and was chosen as spiritual leader of the Jews of Rome in 1951, at a time when the community, perhaps the oldest in Europe, was severely diminished in numbers and vitality.”

As highlighted by David I. Kertzer, professor of Italian studies at Brown, whose book “The Pope and Mussolini” was recently awarded a Pulitzer Prize, “The Italian Jewry was devastated and severely traumatized in the wake of the war.” “Rabbi Toaff lived through all this. So even before becoming chief of Rome in ’51, he was a heroic figure, associated with resistance, and with rebuilding.”

“By his own reckoning – continued Bruce Weber - Rabbi Toaff, who retired in 2002, focused the greatest part of his effort on rebuilding Jewish schools and fortifying Jewish education in Rome. But he is perhaps best known for the invitation he extended to Pope John Paul II to pray with him in Rome’s central synagogue, an act that cemented his international legacy”.

Not by chance, as the essay reminds us, the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi described him in an interview, as “a great Italian and a symbol of the Jewish community.”

 
  davar
NEWS
Celebrating April 25
with the Jewish Brigade


By Rossella Tercatin

Italy celebrated the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the liberation from Nazi-Fascism last Saturday, April 25.
Rallies to commemorate the event and the partisans who fought to free the country were held all over the country. At the national march that took place in Milan, many gathered under the banners of the Jewish Brigade, which was a military faction of the British Army which employed Jewish volunteers from the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine and made a decisive contribution to the liberation of Italy.

Read more

EVENTS
Freedom and Books in Ferrara
By Daniel Reichel
 
The sixth edition of the Festival of Jewish Books of Ferrara (25-28 April), organized by Foundation of the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah (MEIS), opened on Saturday night with the event “Homage to liberty”, which lead the visitors on a walking tour of Ferrara. “Homage to liberty” because on the very same day all Italy celebrated the liberation from the Nazi-fascist regime and the festival remembered it. The walk indeed stopped at some important places in the city connected to the Second World War period and ended at the MEIS with a visit to the exposition “Torah source of life. The collection of the Museum of the Jewish Community of Ferrara.”

Read more

LEADERS
The Rabbi of Everyone
By Adam Smulevich
 
A crowd of people paid their last respects to rav Elio Toaff, chief rabbi of Rome for half century (1951-2001) who passed away last week, just before his 100th birthday. The funeral took place in his hometown Livorno, where rav Toaff will rest next to his wife Lia Luperini. Among those who attended were the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities Renzo Gattegna, a delegation of the Jewish Community of Rome lead by its president Riccardo Pacifici and the chief rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, Naor Gilon, many Italian rabbis including the president of the Italian Rabbinical Assembly, rav Giuseppe Momigliano.

Read more

LEADERS
“Hospitality is a mitzvah”
By Daniel Mosseri

How is the Italian Jewish community reacting to the tragedies of the refugees in the Mediterranean sea?

It is indeed a tragedy and it is happening only a few kilometers from the Italian coasts, taking away the life of innocent people and their hope for freedom. We are living these events with pain and compassion in remembering the victims, and at the same time, we ask everyone to make concrete efforts so that similar events do not happen again. We are also revolted by the people who are taking this opportunity to speculate on these tragedies by expressing their xenophobic anger through the media and in public debates.

(Jüdische Allgemeine Wochenzeitung, 23. April 2015)

Read more


DEUTSCH
»Gastfreundschaft ist
eine Mizwa«


Von Daniel Mosseri

Herr Gattegna, am Samstag sind Hunderte Flüchtlinge auf dem Weg nach Europa im Mittelmeer ertrunken. Wie reagieren Italiens jüdische Gemeinden darauf?  
Es ist eine Tragödie – und das nur wenige Kilometer von unserer Küste entfernt! Unschuldige Menschenleben und die Hoffnung auf Freiheit wurden zunichtegemacht. Wir sind entsetzt über diejenigen, die sogar angesichts dieser tragischen Ereignisse fremdenfeindliche Ressentiments schüren.

(Jüdische Allgemeine Wochenzeitung, 23. April 2015)


Weiter lesen

pilpul
AJC Mourns Rabbi Elio Toaff

AJC mourns the passing of Rabbi Elio toaff, the former Chief Rabbi of Rome.  “He was a religious leader of great moral stature, a pioneer of interreligious dialogue, deeply rooted in traditional orthodoxy, with an enlightened, universal vision of the world,” said Rabbi David Rosen, AJC’s Director of International Interreligious Affairs. He departed just ten days before his 100thbirthday.
Rabbi Toaff served as Rome’s Chief Rabbi for half a century, from 1951 up to his resignation in 2001. He will long be remembered for his manifold contributions to Italy and to Italian Jewry. During World War II he joined the partisans, courageously risking his life by fighting the Italian Fascists and the German Nazi invaders. Then, as leader of the Roman Jewish Community he bequeathed a new dignity, religiosity, and unity to the war-torn Jewish survivors.
“Nearly 30 years later, in 1982”, said Lisa Billig, AJC’s Representative in Italy and Liaison to the Holy See, “Rabbi Toaff set an eloquent example of non-violence by heading a silent march through Rome in response to an attack by Palestinian terrorists on Rome’s Great Synagogue. They  killed a 2 year old child, Stefano Gaj Tachè, and left 37 Shabbat and Shemani Azzereth worshippers seriously wounded. The attack came after months of hateful incitement against Israel by Italian media, unions and political forces. Rabbi Toaff thus made an exemplary choice: a resoundingly silent demonstration instead of empty words by government officials.”


Read more

moked è il portale dell'ebraismo italiano
Follow us on  FACEBOOK  TWITTER



This newsletter is published under difficult conditions. The editors of this newsletter are Italian journalists whose native language is Italian. They are willing to offer their energy and their skills to give international readers the opportunity of learning more about the Italian Jewish world, its values, its culture and its traditions.
In spite of all our efforts to avoid this, readers may find an occasional language mistake. We count on your understanding and on your help and advice to correct these mistakes and improve our publication.

Pagine Ebraiche International Edition is published by the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI). UCEI publications encourage an understanding of the Jewish world and the debate within it. The articles and opinions published by Pagine Ebraiche International Edition, unless expressly stated otherwise, cannot be interpreted as the official position of UCEI, but only as the self-expression of the people who sign them, offering their comments to UCEI publications. Readers who are interested in making their own contribution should email us at desk@ucei.it 
You received this newsletter because you authorized UCEI to contact you. If you would like to remove your email address from our list, or if you would like to subscribe using a new email address, please send a blank email to 
desk@ucei.it stating "unsubscribe" or "subscribe" in the subject field.

© UCEI - All rights reserved - The articles may only be reproduced after obtaining the written permission of the editor-in-chief. Pagine Ebraiche - Reg Rome Court 199/2009 – Editor in Chief: Guido Vitale - Managing Editor: Daniela Gross.
Special thanks to: Francesco Moises Bassano, Susanna Barki, Amanda Benjamin, Monica Bizzio, Angelica Edna Calò Livne, Eliezer Di Martino, Alain Elkann, Dori Fleekop, Daniela Fubini, Benedetta Guetta, Sarah Kaminski, Daniel Leisawitz, Annette Leckart, Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, Yaakov Mascetti, Francesca Matalon, Jonathan Misrachi, Anna Momigliano, Giovanni Montenero, Elèna Mortara, Sabina Muccigrosso, Lisa Palmieri Billig, Jazmine Pignatello, Shirley Piperno, Giandomenico Pozzi, Daniel Reichel, Colby Robbins,  Danielle Rockman, Lindsay Shedlin, Rachel Silvera, Adam Smulevich, Simone Somekh, Rossella Tercatin, Ada Treves, Lauren Waldman, Sahar Zivan.


Questo notiziario è realizzato in condizioni di particolare difficoltà. I redattori di questo notiziario sono giornalisti italiani di madrelingua italiana. Mettono a disposizione le loro energie e le loro competenze per raccontare in lingua inglese l'ebraismo italiano, i suoi valori, la sua cultura e i suoi valori. Nonostante il nostro impegno il lettore potrebbe trovare errori e imperfezioni nell'utilizzo del linguaggio che faremo del nostro meglio per evitare. Contiamo sulla vostra comprensione e soprattutto sul vostro aiuto e sul vostro consiglio per correggere gli errori e migliorare.

Pagine Ebraiche International Edition è una pubblicazione edita dall'Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane. L'UCEI sviluppa mezzi di comunicazione che incoraggiano la conoscenza e il confronto delle realtà ebraiche. Gli articoli e i commenti pubblicati, a meno che non sia espressamente indicato il contrario, non possono essere intesi come una presa di posizione ufficiale, ma solo come la autonoma espressione delle persone che li firmano e che si sono rese gratuitamente disponibili. Gli utenti che fossero interessati a offrire un proprio contributo possono rivolgersi all'indirizzo  desk@ucei.it

Avete ricevuto questo messaggio perché avete trasmesso a Ucei l'autorizzazione a comunicare con voi. Se non desiderate ricevere ulteriori comunicazioni o se volete comunicare un nuovo indirizzo email, scrivete a:
desk@ucei.it indicando nell'oggetto del messaggio "cancella" o "modifica".

© UCEI - Tutti i diritti riservati - I testi possono essere riprodotti solo dopo aver ottenuto l'autorizzazione scritta della Direzione. Pagine Ebraiche International Edition - notiziario dell'ebraismo italiano - Reg. Tribunale di Roma 199/2009 - direttore responsabile: Guido Vitale -
Coordinamento: Daniela Gross.
Realizzato con il contributo di:
Francesco Moises Bassano, Susanna Barki, Amanda Benjamin, Monica Bizzio, Angelica Edna Calò Livne, Eliezer Di Martino, Alain Elkann, Dori Fleekop, Daniela Fubini, Benedetta Guetta, Sarah Kaminski, Daniel Leisawitz, Annette Leckart, Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, Yaakov Mascetti, Francesca Matalon, Jonathan Misrachi, Anna Momigliano, Giovanni Montenero, Elèna Mortara, Sabina Muccigrosso, Lisa Palmieri Billig, Jazmine Pignatello, Shirley Piperno, Giandomenico Pozzi, Daniel Reichel, Colby Robbins,  Danielle Rockman, Lindsay Shedlin, Rachel Silvera, Adam Smulevich, Simone Somekh, Rossella Tercatin, Ada Treves, Lauren Waldman, Sahar Zivan.