By Rossella Tercatin Professors and researchers from Italy and Israel met and shared their studies on social, cultural and scientific transformations of the two countries in a conference at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem last week. The conference was organized by the European University of Rome, the Pontifical Institute of Notre Dame of Jerusalem Centre, …
By Rossella Tercatin In Florence, tourists and citizens who want to admire the sunset from the view of Piazzale Michelangelo, located on a hill just east of the city center can enjoy a unique skyline. When night falls, among the few well recognizable buildings is the stunning Florence synagogue, which was completed in 1882 and …
By Daniel Reichel Innovation and a strong involvement of the citizens in urban life are only some of the issues which the sister cities of Milan and Tel Aviv are working on together. Tel Aviv is becoming more and more an international example of a new concept of city: the World Smart City award that …
By Daniel Reichel “Inequality is the consequence of policies that have been implemented through the years, and therefore it can be fought.” This was the message sent by Joseph Stiglitz to politicians all around the world during his lecture at the Festival of Economic Sciences in Trento. The winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics …
By Rossella Tercatin Spring in Italy is always a time to rediscover the passion for books and culture. After the Festival of Jewish Book in Ferrara, which was held at the end of April, the International Book Fair will be inaugurated in Turin on Thursday, May 14. The main theme of this year will be …
By Rachel Silvera and Francesca Matalon Among the hundreds of people who gathered for a last farewell to Rabbi Elio Toaff, some knew him well, some had never met him but valued his work in the wake of the tragedies of World War II. There also were many who cherished a memory of their own …
By Daniel Reichel “Expo Milano 2015 is going to be an extraordinarily unique laboratory-showcase of agricultural, technological, scientific, and architectural excellence. From May 1 to October 31, Milan and Italy will be leading actors in the international debate about how healthy, safe and sufficient food needs to be guaranteed to everyone.” The Special Commissioner for …
By Adam Smulevich On the first anniversary of the death of Emanuele Pacifici (1931-2014), the Jewish Community of Rome remembered this historical figure of Jewish life in Italy, through a commemorative Limmud hosted in Bet Michael synagogue. Born in Rome in 1931, son of rav Riccardo Pacifici and Wanda Abenaim (both deported and killed in …
By Ada Treves Spring in Italy is a season for book fairs, opening with the prestigious Bologna Children’s Book Fair (March 30-April 2), the most important international event for children literature. Last year’s experiment, when the initiative called “Do not tell the adults” opened hall 33 to the public, had such a success with its …
By Rossella Tercatin Simonetta Della Seta, the Culture attaché at the Italian Embassy in Israel, has left her post after ten years. A celebration in her honor at the Ambassador’s residence last week was an occasion to measure the impact of Italian culture on a country that shows its love for Italy on many occasions. …
By Michael Sierra More than 200 students from schools all over Jerusalem formally attired for the occasion, gathered this week at The Rubin Guest House to take part in the Israel Model United Nations (IMUN) for 3 days. The Israel Model United Nations, the Israeli version of the MUN is an educational and academic simulation …
By Adam Smulevich The Jewish Community of Florence is celebrating 150 years since the time Florence was made capital of Italy. The community is hosting a variety of events, debates and meetings. Organized together with the local Jewish Museum and with the support of cultural and institutional partners the events are mainly dedicated to ‘exotism’ …
By Daniel Reichel “The key word of Expo is identity. The identity of Italy”, said the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Saturday, during Expo of Ideas, an event organized by the Ministry of Agriculture together with Expo Milano 2015. For Renzi the Expo – that will begin on May 1, 2015 – will be …
The following speech was delivered by Sergio DellaPergola professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and member of the Yad Vashem Committee for the Righteous Among the Nations at the British Minister of Foreign Affairs in London on January 21, 2015 at the Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony. I am pleased and honored to represent …
By Rachel Silvera The Hanukkah party organized last Tuesday by the Israeli Embassy in Italy has become an annual tradition. This year however something changed to make it even more special. On their arrival, the guests were welcomed into the warm rooms of the Jewish Museum of Rome, where they found dozens of dreidels on …
Jewish leaders from all over Europe gathered in Milan last week end to attend the Meeting of Presidents of Jewish Organisations organized by the European Council of Jewish Communities e dalla American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in cooperation with Milan Jewish Community and the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI). “After living here for so …
By Ada Treves The international conference entitled, “Memory and the Loss of Property,” was held in Trieste last week as part of the activities of the “Laboratorio permanente sulla Memoria e sull’uso della Storia” (The Permanent Workshop on Memory and the Use of History). The center, supported by the provincial administration in accordance with the …
By Daniela Gross Jewish Italy conceals many amazing treasures, often forgotten or ignored even by the Italian Jews themselves. The shrinking of the community, after the World War II, has also meant that during the years many synagogues and historic buildings were closed, since there were no more people to attend them. In fact now, …
By Rossella Tercatin Jewish leaders from all over Europe are expected to gather in Milan for the fifth Meeting of Presidents of Jewish Organizations, which will take place from November 21st to November 23rd. The event organized by the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC) together with the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) as well …
By Francesca Matalon “At the present state of the process of integration analyzed in the past two days, what role should European organizations play?” Jonathan Chaloff, from the International Migration Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) chose this question as an open end of J-Yes // Jewish Youth European Summit, the …