She describes herself as “a daughter of the kibbutz.” Fania Oz-Salzberger is an Israeli historian and professor emerita at the University of Haifa, as well as the daughter of the celebrated Amos Oz. Above all, however, in the opening lines of her lecture in Rome on June 9, when she received the prestigious Italian history …
“We would say goodbye every time we parted ways, because we would see these groups passing by and never coming back.” Sultana Razon was elven years old in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. There, she was terrified by the showers, a fear that never left her. “They would make us undress, disinfect our clothes, and send …
The 12th edition of Arte in Memoria (Art in Memory), a biennial exhibition curated by Adachiara Zevi, opened on May 24 at the ancient synagogue in Ostia, Rome’s antiquity-era port. This year’s edition features contemporary artworks by Ella Littwitz (Israel) and Natalia Romik (Poland). Both artists created site-specific installations that explore themes of remembrance, historical …
News that Keshet Italia, Italy’s only Jewish LGBTQ+ association, was barred from participating in this year’s Rome Pride parade on May 25 quickly spread worldwide, sparking condemnation. The Rome Pride organizers explained that their decision was based on Keshet Italia’s refusal to endorse the parade’s political manifesto. The manifesto characterizes Israel’s military operations in Gaza …
The recently deceased French engineer Claude Yaakov Torres was a prominent collector of recordings and musical literature produced in concentration camps and under conditions of persecution and discrimination. At the initiative of his family — his wife, Nicole, and their children, Benjamin, Julie, and Olivier — the material he gathered with such passion has become …
The “Associazione Calcio Napoli” (now known as SSC Napoli, or simply Napoli) was founded in August 1926 by its first president, Giorgio Ascarelli (1894–1930). Ascarelli was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and prominent figure in the Neapolitan Jewish community. As the Italian team’s centennial approaches, journalist and historian Nico Pirozzi delves into Ascarelli’s life and legacy in …
The applause for Eli Sharabi never seemed to stop. Young people who gathered at the Jewish Community of Ferrara listened silently to the story of his 491-day captivity in Gaza. They heard how Hamas terrorists had ripped away the people he loved: his wife, Lianne, and his daughters, Noya and Yahel. They were murdered in …
An increasing heaviness surrounds all Jewish initiatives in Italy. Nonetheless, the Literary Prize ADEI-WIZO from the Association of Italian Jewish Women (ADEI-WIZO) once again entrusts books to combat simplifications and build complexity. The 2026 awards were presented on May 7 in Ferrara. Participants included former Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi, Israeli writer Ron Chen, graphic artist …
The Italian Ministry of Culture approved funding for the restoration of the Ostia Antica synagogue. The Slovenian Superintendency granted authorization to begin restoration work at the Valdirose Jewish cemetery in Nova Gorica. An agreement was also signed with the Leo Levi Center for musical research. These developments were announced by Dario Disegni, president of the …
“I’m a Jewish Roman, and I’ve been Roman since the time of the ancients, when people used to eat figs,” declared Crescenzo Del Monte (1868–1935), poet and sonneteer celebrated for his works in Judeo-Romanesco and for his translations of medieval and sixteenth-century texts. Ninety years after his death, his voice still resonates — not only …
Hostage, the autobiography of Israeli hostage survivor Eli Sharabi, won the 26th Adelina Della Pergola Literary Prize from the Association of Italian Jewish Women (ADEI-WIZO). The book recounts Sharabi’s 491 days in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip following his abduction from his home in kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023. A jury of 500 …
Danièle Sulewic is a multifaceted artist. A scenographer, costume designer, and ceramist, she was born in Paris. She lived in a kibbutz in Israel and has long resided in Liguria. In Genoa, she collaborated closely with Italian painter, illustrator, film director, and animator Emanuele Luzzati, and she remains one of the protagonists of the cultural …
That night, under the surveillance of a Carabinieri officer, the antifascist Livio Goldschmied was allowed to leave his cell for a few minutes. It was the only time he saw his newborn son. Born on November 29, 1943, in Ivrea, Lombardy, the baby was named Adriano. This was a tribute to Italian engineer, entrepreneur, and …
Sir Moses Montefiore (1784-1885), born in Livorno (Tuscany) to a family from Ancona (Marche), is considered the Jewish philanthropist par excellence. Almost every Jewish community affected by false accusations and lies at the time bears his mark. In Italy, Montefiore failed to return six-year-old Edgardo Mortara to his family after papal police kidnapped him in …
What is love for Jews and Judaism? The late Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Jonathan Sacks, considered Judaism a religion primarily made of love. This love is expressed through three key concepts: love toward God “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”; love toward …
When Vittorio Corinaldi arrived at Kibbutz Bror Hayil in the 1950s, he found little more than an encampment. “There was almost nothing,” he recalled many years later. “There was a poor camp of barracks and a few residential buildings. There were no sidewalks, and the mud was unbearable during the winter. There were no services …
March 4 marked the 110th anniversary of the birth of writer Giorgio Bassani. Throughout his life, women were typically portrayed as strong and influential figures who played central roles in 20th-century cultural life. However, in his books, they are almost always portrayed as vulnerable figures affected by history and society. The difference between real and …
The Jewish hospice in Turin, which was located in Piazza Santa Giulia, no longer exists. It was bombed during World War II and demolished after the war. Another building replaced it. However, some Jewish lives were lost during the demolition: Aida Sara Montagnana, Rosa Vita Finzi, Teresita Teglio, Ercolina Levi, Sara Colombo, Eugenia Treves (later …
“In this tapestry, the dresses are not just decorative elements; they speak the true language of power and identity.” According to Simona Segre Reinach, a fashion anthropologist, Esther is Presented to Ahasuerus is above all “an extraordinary textile mise-en-scène,” a work in which material establishes hierarchies, roles, and transformations. From February 26 to April 26, …
Woven in a Brussels workshop between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, the Flemish tapestry “Esther is Presented to Ahasuerus” tells an ancient story. It is a tale of power, identity, and salvation. Woven from wool, silk, and metallic threads, the tapestry was crafted for the ceremonial spaces of European courts, where images and …