By Daniel Leisawitz* Tobia Zevi’s article in the April 24th edition of Pagine Ebraiche 24, entitled “Carnivori e vegetariani,” raises some important issues. Zevi, who defines himself as “un vegetariano non sempre praticante” (an occasionally lapsed vegetarian) makes the case for the necessity of a society-wide conversation about the ethical and sustainable treatment of animals …
By Daniel Leisawitz* The unanticipated popularity of Donald Trump in the ongoing U.S. primary elections has produced, among its many surprising effects, a slew of articles in the popular press comparing Trump to ex-prime minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi (e.g. Roger Cohen in The New York Times and Ruth Ben-Ghiat on CNN.com). As Silvia Marchetti …
By Daniel Leisawitz* Last week marked the official 500-year anniversary of the Ghetto of Venice. On March 29, 1516, the Venetian Senate enacted a decree stating that any Jews wishing to live stably in Venice must all dwell together in one area, enclosed by two locked gates that would open in the morning and close …
By Daniel Leisawitz* This past week, Jews around the world celebrated the festive holiday of Purim, which celebrates our escape from imminent destruction thanks to the intelligence and bravery of a young Jewish woman, Esther, and her uncle Mordechai. Among the many interpretations of this curious story, I’d like to consider one suggested by Rabbi …
By Daniel Leisawitz* Last Shabbat, Jews all over the world read the last chapters of the book of Exodus, in which the final priestly accoutrements are made, the Mishkan is completed, and its components and furnishings are brought to Moses for assembly in order to prepare the Tabernacle for the arrival and indwelling of the …
By Daniel Leisawitz* When I first read about the premise for the movie Son of Saul , which has just won the Oscar for best foreign language film, I cringed. It is a film about a member of the Auschwitz Sonderkommando – the “special squadron” of camp inmates who were forced to aid the Nazis …
By Pagine Ebraiche staff Lately, Jewish Italian history and present have been receiving a lot of attention from international media. The approaching celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the Ghetto of Venice have been widely covered in the most important media outlets all over the world. Last week, a reportage by Bosniac photographer Ziyah Gafic …
By Pagine Ebraiche Staff Historian and Pulitzer Prize winner David Kertzer is currently in Rome to carry on his studies on the relationship between the Vatican and the fascist regime. His book on pope Pius XI and dictator Benito Mussolini (“The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism …
By Pagine Ebraiche staff Umberto Eco, Italian scholar and author, died on Friday in Milan. Tributes to his person and his work have since appeared in papers all over the world. “As a semiotician, Mr. Eco sought to interpret cultures through their signs and symbols — words, religious icons, banners, clothing, musical scores, even cartoons …
By Pagine Ebraiche staff In the coming weeks, Venice will start featuring the many initiatives to remember the 500th anniversary of the establishment of the Ghetto in the city. Historically ghettos were the areas where Jews were forced to live by law, stripped of most civil, economic and political rights, often being physically abused and …
By Pagine Ebraiche staff Italian historian Manuela Consonni has been appointed as Director of the International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In an interview with journalist Alain Elkann published in the Italian daily La Stampa, she explains her vision for the fight against Anti-Semitism in the 21st century. “Despite …
By Daniela Gross On the next Holocaust Remembrance Day, there will be a new sad memory regarding Auschwitz to ponder about. As reported on the daily Il Manifesto by Beatrice Andreose, the Italian Memorial, which was set up in the camp in 1980 to honor the Italians that died in the Nazi lagers, was removed …
By Daniela Gross While the wave of refugees to Europe from the Middle East doesn’t seem to stop, an opposite migration is quietly taking place. As reported by The Washington Post, “Jewish immigration to Israel from Western Europe has reached an all-time high as a result of a rise in anti-Semitic attacks, a leading nonprofit …
By Daniela Gross “It is incredible how the attack in Cologne has gone understated, especially by the male population. It was a hostile action, less bloody but not less hateful than the assault to Charlie Hebdo, which we commemorate on these days. It is an act doomed to leave, in the European consciousness, a scar …
By Daniela Gross About 13,000 people signed an appeal against Nazi and fascist groups. The petition, titled “A Signature against Fascism,” was launched online two weeks ago. As Paolo Berizzi reported on the daily La Repubblica, this campaign is aimed at requiring the political leadership to ban all organizations “clearly inspired by fascism or Nazism, …
By Daniela Gross This year, for the first time after half a century, Christians and Muslims celebrated their Nativity on the same night, between the 24th and 25th of December. Monika Bulaj, great photographer and anthropologist, reminded us of this rare coincidence some days ago on the daily La Repubblica. “This year Muhammad is born …
By Daniela Gross Waiting for the New Year, media are filled with every kind of list. We can choose amongst the best books, the best movies, and even the best scientific discoveries. The worst list we read, however, comes from Italy. Featured by the Radio Islam website, it enumerates the “Italian influential Jews” and includes …
By Daniela Gross Hollywood celebrities got involved, along with the American Jewish community, in the plan to renovate Venice’s Jewish ghetto for its 500th anniversary. “Eight million euros are needed, and two have already been received from donations by people more or less well known who, across the ocean, love Venetian heritage. The singer Barbra …
By Daniela Gross Although it was fairly predictable, it was nice to find The Complete Works of Primo Levi, edited by Ann Goldstein, in the prestigious list of “The 100 Notable Books of 2015” in this Sunday Book Review of the New York Times. “Twenty-eight years after Levi’s death, this collection of everything he published …
By Daniela Gross Even amongst friends, in the Italian political arena Israel is a highly divisive topic. Erri De Luca, one of Italy’s leading writers, realized it just a few days before the Paris attacks. As reported in The Huffington Post by Laura Eduati, “It all began with a poem titled ‘Homage to Jerusalem’, that …