By Guido Vitale Jewish Italy is mourning the passing away of Vittorio Dan Segre, one of its great protagonists. Before Rosh Hashanah, immediately after the release of “Storia di un ebreo che voleva essere eroe” (The History of a Jew who wanted to be a hero), his latest book, we talked for a last goodbye …
By Guido Vitale This week will finally see the publication (in Italian) of the latest volume of memoirs of a truly extraordinary Italian Jew, Vittorio Dan Segre, entitled “Storia dell’ebreo che voleva essere eroe” (“Story of the Jew who wanted to be a hero”). Thirty-five years after the publication of his outstanding “Storia di un …
By Guido Vitale Italian Jews have just lived another overwhelming European Day of Jewish Culture. We have seen that Italian Judaism is alive and has much to offer to the whole Italian society. But, above all, we have realized that Italian society is expecting great things from Italian Jews and from Jewish culture.
By Guido Vitale La Gazzetta di Mantova, the Italian newspaper founded in 1664, celebrates in these days its 350 years. A major exhibition at Palazzo Te celebrates this extraordinary event in correspondence with the prestigious Festivaletteratura, which attracts in town big crowds from all over the world. A newspaper enshrines three and a half centuries …
By Guido Vitale With the premiere of Tsili, Amos Gitai’s latest film, tomorrow at the Venice Biennale Film Festival Israeli cinema will be back in the spotlight. The end of the Summer marks many new beginnings, from the arrival of Elul and Rosh HaShana to the cultural season and its Festivals. This new period, which …
By Guido Vitale* A film about the Nazi massacres against civilian population in Italy – specifically about the slaughter of hundreds of women, children and elders in Sant’Anna di Stazzema in 1944 – has raised much interest during the sixty-seventh edition of the Locarno Film Festival, held this last August. It is perhaps not by …
By Guido Vitale* For all Italians the mid August weekend traditionally represents a moment of meditation before resuming work and study. For the Italians Jews especially, this season was more intense and more agitated than ever. Conflict in the Middle East, terrorist attacks against Israel, threats of a rising anti-Semitism in Europe have darkened the …
By Guido Vitale* A very large enthusiastic audience greeted the great Israeli director Eran Riklis on the Piazza Grande in Locarno for the premiere of Dancing Arabs, his latest work. “I want – he said – to make a very simple statement: everybody wants peace. Everybody.” *Guido Vitale is the editor-in-chief of Pagine Ebraiche
By Guido Vitale* “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” (George Orwell) *Guido Vitale is the editor-in-chief of Pagine Ebraiche
By Guido Vitale* The editorial staff at the Union of Italian Jewish Communities has intensified its work as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, and the terrorist attacks on the Israeli civilian population. In addition to the usual online and print publications, we have now added flash updates on an hourly basis. …
By Guido Vitale* Twenty candidates participated in the selection process – which took place in Trieste – to become journalistic interns in the newsroom of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities. In Italy such internships are a prerequisite to becoming full-fledged professional journalists. The interviews were held at the historic Caffè San Marco, the charming …
By Guido Vitale* In its’ last meeting, the Council of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities devoted much attention to the plight of Israel and the Hamas terrorist aggression. Vittorio Dan Segre, Sergio Minerbi and Sergio Della Pergola also participated in the debate. Listening to these three leading experts who are among the best representatives …
By Guido Vitale In his beautiful essay appearing in the July issue of Pagine Ebraiche, Sergio Della Pergola speaks about the three Israeli boys who were kidnapped and murdered, remembering that they were defenseless and unarmed. Additionally, he underlines that they were also pedestrians. In our European cities crammed with vehicles, to be a pedestrian …
By Guido Vitale Last week the journalists of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities welcomed among the guests of the Markets and Values seminar that we held in Florence, the Italian economist Luigi Zingales (University of Chicago Booth School of Business). Zingales spoke of his meeting and strategic collaboration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, …
By Guido Vitale* The Italian Rabbinical Assembly has issued an announcement advising Italian Jews on what are appropriate behaviors and prayers to adopt when invoking the release of the three kidnapped Israeli boys. This message is likely to be a mixed blessing. On the one hand it represents an understandable attempt to channel the initial …
In the past few days in Rome, within the walls of the Vatican, we witnessed an important moment of prayer for peace in the Middle East. Now, with the kidnapping of three Israeli boys, we have a good opportunity to move from words to actions. Those who desire peace, in Rome and around the world, …
By Guido Vitale Ofra Fahri, the cultural attaché of the Israeli Embassy in Rome, announced at the opening of the Venice Biennale of Architecture that she is about to leave her post in our country and return to Jerusalem. We owe her a big thank you. The way she has succeeded – with sensitivity and …
By Guido Vitale* At the meeting point between North and South, between the Alps and the Mediterranean, amidst Slavic, Latin and Central European cultures, Trieste is reaffirming its role as a bastion for all minorities. This fascinating Adriatic city, famed for its literary echoes and multiple borders, marked the southernmost point of the Iron Curtain …
By Guido Vitale An Italian journalist belonging to Catholic right-wing circles has published a book denouncing self-hating Jews. Self-hatred, he believes, is expressed when arguments and justifications – in this case of the Jews – are not supported energetically enough, and when others’ views are over-emphasized. The result resembles a blacklist which includes many prominent …
By Guido Vitale* Parma, the charming city famed for its classical music connections and for its fine dining, aspires to be the Italian food capital both economically and culturally. Italian Jews are increasingly showing how they can make an important contribution to this sector, reflecting both their ancient culinary traditions and their dietary laws. We …