Florence’s mayor, Sara Funaro,made up her mind after seeing a video of a song by Israeli singer Achinoam Nini, also known as Noa. Titled “Look at Me,” the song tells the story of two mothers: Robi Damelin and Bushra Awad. A Palestinian and an Israeli, both women are members of the Parents Circle Families Forum, …
“From September 1943 to March 1945, more than a thousand people — men, women, partisans, antifascists, and Jews — were imprisoned within these walls. From here, they were deported to Nazi concentration camps.” This inscription appeared at the end of March on the tarmac in front of the Carceri Nuove in Turin, a complex of …
On June 11, Tuscany’s Regional Council approved a resolution presented by the center-left Democratic Party, committing to “interrupting any form of relation with representatives of the Israeli government and with institutions and structures directly connected to it, which are overtly and explicitly motivated by the will to stop the ongoing massacre”. Following the pattern adopted by …
Who knows if someone in the municipality of Livorno (Tuscany) will remember that the city has been twinned with Bat Yam. On Monday, the city on Israel’s Mediterranean Sea coast was hit hard by Iranian missiles. The attack resulted in around ten victims, including two children. In the meantime, a joint message has been released …
Images, biographies and fragments of history recounting the role of women in the 1900s. This is the concept behind the exhibition “Donne. Storie di donne che hanno influenzato il mondo” (Women: Stories of Women Who Have Influenced the World) is open at the Jewish Museum of Rome until September 1. Realized in collaboration with the …
Special or local Purims, known in Hebrew as Purim Shenì or Purim Qatàn (Second Purim or Little Purim), are festivities established by Jewish communities to commemorate miraculous events that led to salvation from natural disasters (such as earthquakes, fires and epidemics) or, more frequently, from antisemitic attacks. As in biblical Purim, these days of celebration …
In Modena, the “Bene, Gratitudine, Memoria” (Good, Gratitude, Remembrance) project has taken off with an event organized by the Diocesan Churches together with the Jewish Community. Ideated by Enrica Talà and Father Luca Bandiera, the initiative aims to present the stories of clerics who were involved with rescue operations that saved Italian and foreign Jews …
Ahead of the demonstrations planned on Sunday by Italian political parties and associations to protest the situation in Gaza, Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, expressed her appreciation “for those who work on both sides in favor of both populations”. In a statement, she outlined several concerns regarding the march …
“Today’s vote sends out a different message. It is the first step towards restoring historical justice.” This was the mayor of Anzio (near Rome), Aurelio Lo Fazio, commenting on the Municipal Council’s decision to revoke the honorary citizenship conferred on Benito Mussolini by the Prefect Commissary on 14 May 1924. On May 27, the assembly …
Last week, Gavriel Segre, a 55-year-old physicist and researcher at the University of Turin, passed away. His sudden death has had a profound impact on everyone who knew and respected him. During his formative years, he was an active member of Jewish youth movements, particularly Hashomer Hatzair. This experience gave him a strong sense of …
“Your pain is our pain; your tears are our tears.” With these words, Chief Rabbi of Venice Alberto Sermoneta welcomed a delegation from Or Lamishpachot (Light for Families), an Israeli non-profit organization that supports the families of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks, to the Spanish Scola Grande, the largest and best-known Venetian synagogue. Or …
The Jewish Community of Rome has recently completed the restoration of an ancient Aron HaKodesh (the ark that houses the Torah scrolls) that is part of the Great Synagogue complex. The aron, which dates back to 1586 and is decorated with marble and gilded capitals, was originally located in the Sicilian Schola, the synagogue that …
Tensions between pro-Palestinian activists and law enforcement marred the Salone Internazionale del Libro, Italy’s largest book fair, in Turin. On Thursday 15 May, activists attempted to storm the building during the launch of the book La cultura dell’odio. Media, università e artisti contro Israele (The Culture of Hatred. Media, University and Artists against Israel) by journalist Nathan Greppi (Lindau). …
A pin with a yellow ribbon from the international campaign “Bring Them Home” in support of returning all hostages taken on October 7 and fighting antisemitism. These were the central points of the message that Milo Hasbani, vice-president of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities, brought to Pope Leo XIV during the meeting with …
Thanks to its geographical position, Puglia, a southern region that forms the heel of Italy’s “boot”, has always been a meeting point for different civilizations and cultures. Over the centuries, the region has hosted numerous peoples, including Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Ottomans and Jews, who have influenced each other. Although the region is no longer …
Yom Hazikaron is Israel’s day of remembrance for its fallen soldiers and the victims of terrorism, a celebration in which the Italian Jewish community usually participates. In Rome, a ceremony organized in collaboration with the Israeli Embassy in Italy was held in the courtyard of the Jewish school. Here hundreds of people embraced the families of five …
“Free Palestine”. At the May 1 concert in Rome, a large music event traditionally organized by the country’s unions, the slogan was unexpectedly sung on the notes of Hava Nagila, a popular Jewish song composed over a century ago, when the future state of Israel was still in the making. Performed by Patagarri, a Milanese …
Everyone is betting on who will succeed Pope Francis. Among the experts, one of the favorites is Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who comes from Bergamo (Lombardy). He has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020 and was previously appointed Custos of the Holy Land, head of the Franciscan priory known as the Custody of …
Mario Pollarolo Sacerdote, historical memory of the Jewish Community of Vercelli in the Piedmont region, died at the age of 100. On his birthday, in February, the community organized a party to honor him and celebrate his contribution. “Over the years, with his help, we have collected happy memories of the past and testimonies related …
Seventy years later, a circle is partially closed. It was in 1955, on initiative of the FGEI (Italian Federation of Jewish Youth), that the Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation was born in Milan. One of its first objectives was to collect testimonies and documents about Jewish members of the resistance against Nazi Fascism, to give …