ITALY – A Jewish Section is born in Matera: it is the seventh in the South

On the eve of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Jewish community of Naples announced the establishment of a Section in Matera. This is the first in the Basilicata region and the seventh in Southern Italy, following those in San Nicandro Garganico, Taranto, and Trani in Apulia; Palmi in Calabria; Catania and Palermo in Sicily. “Our commitment to being present and serving our territory continues. This is the right way,” said Lydia Schapirer, president of the Jewish Community of Naples. UCEI vice president Giulio Disegni praised the initiative, highlighting the importance of the Basilicata region. The Jewish catacombs of Venosa, in the province of Potenza, provide valuable insight into an ancient Jewish community, with epigraphs in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. 

Zruya Cuscianna Toeller will head the new section. “I am an optimist and would like to share the joy of Judaism and our culture,” she told Pagine Ebraiche. Born to a father from Matera and a Spanish mother, she has lived abroad for a long time and has three children. “There are many opportunities to do a good job with an international profile. Matera is a fascinating location that could attract many foreign visitors for high-level meetings and study initiatives,” she said. “In the past few years, some progress has been made. For example, I visited schools to talk to children about Hanukkah (also known as the ‘Festival of Lights’) and explain the significance of this holiday.”

Matera is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Evidence of human settlements dating back to the Paleolithic period can be found in its natural caves carved into the rock.