By David Bidussa* “Omnia mutantur, nihil interit”. Everything changes, but nothing is really lost, writes the poet Ovid in his The Metamorphoses (Book XV, line 165). It is a verse that expresses bewilderment when reality suddenly becomes incomprehensible but yet seems to express with words that sound familiar to us. But it is not so. …
By Gadi Luzzatto Voghera* And so, the famous “Mahzor Luzzatto” was sold on auction, for the considerable sum of 8,307,000 US dollars. First of all, it must be said that Sotheby’s auction house does things just right. Anyone wishing to understand what it is about can read the highly accurate data sheet of the volume, …
Гади Полакко* В стране, где светскость находится на дистанции от либеральной идеи, где права всех (включая неверующих) декларируются как гарантированные, постановление объединенных гражданских секций Кассационного суда кажется замечательным новшеством. Опубликованный вчера, он указывает на концепцию “разумного приспособления” как способ уравновесить присутствие распятия в школьных кабинетах с другими религиозными символами. Исходя из этого, предложенный курс действий …
By Anna Foa* Amidst so much mayhem; amidst the terrible statements of those who, already – and still – Shoah negationists, consider Nazi our country’s democratic government; amidst those asking for themselves the freedom to infect others and accusing who denies it to them of being against democracy and the Constitution… Amidst all of this, …
“The greatest heritage of the Jewish Community of Padua does not consist of its objects, albeit beautiful and highly valuable. It consists of the people who lived there”. This is the idea behind the Museum of Jewish Padua, inaugurated in June 2015, as emerges from the reflections of the then president Davide Romanin Jacur. A …
“I am very honored but also deeply impressed. It is an opportunity to meditate on my long and painful path of reconciliation with Germany”. So Senator for life and Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre welcomed the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on behalf of the German government, which she was presented last …
Par David Meghnagi* Devant les terribles et angoissantes nouvelles venantes de l’Allemagne, après la montée au pouvoir de Hitler, Ludwig Pollak, avec un acte extrême de résilience notait dans ses mémoires: Une nation qui remonte à 5693 ans survivra même à Hitler ». Huit mois après, en commentant une bibliographie de Alfred Mond de Hector …
The Jewish Book Festival. festival starts on September 23 at 5:00 p.m. with the opening speeches, by the president of MEIS Disegni; by Daniele Ravenna representing the Ministry of Culture; by the regional councilor Mauro Felicori; by the mayor of Ferrara Alan Fabbri, and by the UCEI president Noemi Di Segni. At 6:00 p.m. the …
Many significant guests will characterize the 12th edition of the Jewish Book Festival organized in Ferrara, from Thursday 23 to Friday 26 September by the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah. The theme of this edition – which will also see the preview presentation of I-TAL-YA Books, the international digital census project of …
Housing facilities, clothes, food, social and health care services: the needs of those forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover are immense. On relief for the refugees, the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC) and the European branch of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) last week launched a joint European effort. The appeal, …
by Michaela Hoenig* As Jews around the world prepare to celebrate the High Holidays, I scoured the internet to discover some Italian traditions for Rosh Hashana, and consider how they compare to the American Ashkenazi traditions that I practice. For our dinner, my family makes sure to include a fish with the head attached; symbolic …
By Alberto Cavaglion* A few months ago I recorded on this portal a podcast about Marina Jarre and her “Distant fathers”. I could not imagine what would happen, without my knowledge, over the next few weeks. A series of editorial initiatives that have brought back to the fore a solitary, fascinating writer, modern because of …
By Cara Palumbo* Since the early days of comic book publishing, Jewish and Italian-Americans have been working side-by-side to create an alternate universe where differences are celebrated. Comics create a home for those who feel like outcasts. Children identify with their superhero counterparts as they face similar struggles, making them feel less alone in the …
An online newsletter is a like a message in a bottle: The readership may be immense and you never know who is going to be interested or touched by your stories. This is especially true when it comes to a multilingual newsletter as Pagine Ebraiche International, aimed at connecting Jewish Italy and its multimillennial tradition …
By David Meghnagi* Memory is a dynamic process in which data are continuously remodeled on the basis of what is learnt afterwards. A testimony given immediately or soon after a traumatic event reflects the experience of the moment. Who speaks years later, does so also in light of what they have learnt since, reconstructing a …
By Jordan Palmer* It’s important that Jews of the 21st century understand and keep alive, the spirit and importance of past Jewish community’s contributions to society, including the area of the arts. Despite persecution and exile, Jews throughout the world have always been key contributors to the arts, both as patrons and artists. The art …
A bar mitzvah had not been celebrated in Pisa for some years now. The ancient Jewish community has returned to celebrate one in May, with the reading in the synagogue of the first call of the Parashah of Chukkàt by the 13-year-old Yoel Moravchick. “It was a great emotion, a moment of celebration for everyone”, …
A painting and a show. Two different and complementary ways to honor the memory of Dante on the 700th anniversary of his death, focusing in particular on his relationship with Judaism, the stimuli he collected, the perception of him over the centuries. This is the initiative of the Jewish Museum of Bologna, which Tuesday will …
With antisemitism on the rise in the United States and globally, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) concluded last week its quadrennial gathering addressing key issues affecting Jewish communities and setting policy for the years ahead. During its final convening the 16th Plenary Assembly formally announced the election of its leadership, including the reelection of the …
By Andrea Morpurgo The close contacts between Italy and Eastern Europe have evolved over the centuries and Jews have been an integral part of this relationship. The best known examples are the numerous synagogues built by Italian architects in Poland and Lithuania, including the Izaak synagogue built by Francesco Olivieri in Krakow’s historical Kazimierz district …