On May 31, a concert featuring pianist Anna D’Errico and composer Gianni Bozzola opened the 14th edition of the festival “Musica nel Complesso Ebraico” (Music in the Jewish Complex) at the synagogue of Casale Monferrato (Piedmont). Giulio Castagnoli is the founder and director of the festival. The festival continues on Sunday, June 7, with a …
On April 15, a silent march set off from Platform 17 of Porta Nuova Railway Station in Turin, Piedmont, at 9:00 a.m. A banner at the front read: “There is no future without memory.” Following it were middle school students, teachers, and representatives of institutions, as well as members of the Jewish communities of Turin, …
Last week, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) distributed 282 packages of kosher-for-Passover products to individuals and families in need who are followed by the social services. “This year, we began earlier than is usual,” said UCEI’s vice president Milo Hasbani. “Families have already received their packages and can now prepare for the Seder, …
On January 8, the Jewish community of Livorno held a unique ceremony to honor Gina Cipolli, a 96-year-old woman who risked her life to save three Jewish families during the Nazi-Fascist persecution. The families were welcomed and protected in farmhouses in the Cascina area of Pisa. Ms. Cipolli received the honor of “Righteous Among the …
On December 14, as Hanukkah’s first light illuminated synagogues, community spaces and public squares throughout Italy, the festive feelings mixed with pain in the wake of the antisemitic attack in Bondi Beach, Australia. Hundreds of people participated in the public menorah lighting in Piazza Barberini, in Rome’s center. “While we try to bring light into …
A delegation of Italian jurists — lawyers, university professors, and members of organizations and associations such as UCEI, AGE, ALA, and the Union of Italy-Israel Associations — has recently concluded an almost week-long trip to Israel. The aim of the visit was to observe, document, and understand the Israeli reality after the tragic October 7, …
For three days in October, Jerusalem became the “green” capital city thanks to the festival Yarok Bifnim Ubaschuzt (Green Inside and Out), organized by Italian-Israeli Letizia Fargion Piattelli. Now on its fifth year, the event aims to promote environmental awareness and a sustainable lifestyle based on the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.Born in Milan …
“We will return to the square. We will speak again.” Stefano Parisi, president of the Setteottobre (October 7) association, made this pledge while concluding the national demonstration “For our freedom. Heads Up with the Jews,” which took place in Piazza Santi Apostoli in Rome on October 23. Despite the inclement weather, about 2,000 people participated …
In Turin, the CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia presents a major new exhibition celebrating the work of Alfred Eisenstaedt, undisputed master of 20thth century photojournalism. Eisenstaedt is the author of the famous photograph taken on V-J Day in Times Square, showing a U.S. Navy sailor kissing a total stranger. He was one of …
Their departure will be from Vicenza (Veneto) on August 12, and they will travel by bike to Auschwitz.The 1,300-kilometer journey across Europe is to honour Catholic partisans Torquato and Franco Fraccon, a father and son. They were deported and killed in Nazi concentration camps in 1945. Lucia Farina (niece of the Fraccons), her husband Antonino …
Sami Modiano survived Auschwitz. He has always stressed the importance of transmitting memory to the new generations. “Young people must know, When I’m gone, they’ll be here to ensure it never happens again.” On July 18, Modiano turned 95, and his message has never been more relevant. He received congratulations from the highest state authorities, …
From June 22 to 25, the 18th edition of the International Culture Festival Ebraica returned to Rome’s Jewish Quarter. Organized by Ariela Piattelli, Raffaella Spizzichino, and Marco Panella for the Jewish Community of Rome, the festival offers an annual exploration of Jewish identity through art and dialogue. This year’s theme, “A(Live),” was a “direct call …
Orange, yellow, white, and blue were the colors that filled the demonstration organized by the Jewish community of Milan on Tuesday in front of Palazzo Marino, the seat of the city government. Orange honored the memory of young brothers Kfir and Ariel Bibas, brutally murdered by Hamas. Yellow served as a reminder of the 63 …
It has been 550 years since the massacres of Jews in Modica and Noto, Sicily, where 400 people were killed on August 15, 1474. Long forgotten, this tragic event is now commemorated by a plaque and a memorial stone. The plaque was unveiled on Sunday, September 22, by a delegation from the Union of the …
In the 600th anniversary of the first recorded Jewish presence along the River Po in 1424, Turin will serve as the flagship city among 106 Italian locations hosting meetings and initiatives for the upcoming European Day of Jewish Culture. In Italy, the 25th edition of this event, coordinated at the European level by the European …
In a message sent to the commander of the Guardia di Finanza, General Andrea De Gennaro, on the 250th anniversary of the agency of the Italian armed forces responsible for fighting financial crime, tax evasion and smuggling, the president of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), Noemi Di Segni, expressed gratitude and esteem for the work …
The European Day of Jewish Culture on September 15th will be dedicated to family. And in Rome, “no place better represents this concept than the Great Synagogue, which will soon celebrate 120 years since its inauguration,” said art historian Giorgia Calò, director of the Community Culture Center. To this end, the Center launched a “call …
The start of the Tour de France, the annual multiple-stage bicycle race which this year originated in Florence, was dedicated to Gino Bartali. To honor the Tuscan champion recognized in 2013 as a “Righteous Among the Nations” (the honor given to non-Jews who took great risks to save Jews during the Holocaust) a race was …
Under the sky of Turin, the Mole Antonelliana has once again turned blue. “1848: Jews and Waldensians, citizens like others”, states the white bold lettering appearing on the city’s symbol from this week. Conceived as a grand new temple for the than newly emancipated Jewish community of Turin 1848, the Mole never became a synagogue. …
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Catania Section of the Jewish Community of Naples held an event to raise awareness about the Sicilian Jewish heritage. The initiative included a visit to the impressive Jewish catacombs located in the ancient heart of Noto.