On December 7 in Milan, the traditional ceremony for the Ambrogino d’Oro awards, the city’s highest civic honor, will take place. Among this year’s candidates are Walker Meghnagi, president of the Jewish Community of Milan, and Roberto Cenati, former president of the local section of ANPI (National Association of Italian Partisans). The former was nominated …
Giorgio Salvatore Ottolenghi, president emeritus of the Jewish Community of Casale Monferrato, in the Piedmont region, has passed away at the age of 101. He led the small community for an uninterrupted 62 years, from 1958 to 2020, playing a pivotal role in its post-war revival. Born on January 18, 1923, into a long-established Casale family, …
The promotion of Jewish life and the fight against antisemitism. On these two pillars the Council of Europe based its recently approved declaration addressing the dramatic increase in antisemitism across the Old Continent as a consequence of October 7. The two topics are inseparable, as crimes against Jewish individuals and institutions have “dramatically increased” since …
The goal was to strip away the rhetoric surrounding Liliana Segre. To move beyond the “very Italian” attempt to turn her into a symbol. And to let her speak today, offering the public a faithful portrait of her story and worldview. Liliana is the title of a documentary by Milanese film director Ruggero Gabbai, dedicated …
On Sunday 15 September, the 25th edition of the European Jewish Culture Day kicked off in Turin, the lead city this year. The event began, in front of the synagogue entrance, where Dario Disegni, president of the Turisn Jewish Community, addressed the public and read a message from Italian President Sergio Mattarella. “Knowledge is the …
Inaugurating its new exhibition titled Ebrei nel Novecento Italiano (Jews in 20th century Italy), the Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah (MEIS) in Ferrara has launched the digital project “Ti racconto il mio ‘900” (I tell you my 20th century). This initiative aims to document scenes and moments from everyday life during that period, …
Liliana Segre, the tireless voice of Memory and a senator for life since 2018, has turned 94. Born in Milan on September 10, 1930, she was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau as a child with her father Alberto, who did not survive. She celebrated her birthday with family in Pesaro, a city that holds a special place …
In many Italian homes, old film reels and amateur footage are tucked away in attics or cellars. These snapshots of everyday life, often forgotten, are not documentaries, but they help understand the transformations of the 20th century. Building on this idea, the project “Mi Ricordo – Raccolta nazionale di film di famiglia ” (I remember …
“Calabria is coexistence” was the slogan behind which hundreds of people marched in Santa Maria del Cedro (province of Cosenza) on the closing night of the Citrus Festival. This fruit, characteristic of the region, also symbolizes the Jewish festival of Sukkot. The inclusive message of the event was embraced by UCEI President Noemi Di Segni …
Family is the main theme of the 25th edition of the European Days of Jewish Culture. Scheduled in Italy for Sunday, September 15, with Turin serving as the lead city, the event will involve 27 countries across Europe, A total of 106 locations from north to south of the Peninsula will host initiatives and events. …
They presented him with the measure, and he endorsed it without hesitation, scruples or resistance. With this nonchalant act, King Vittorio Emanuele III forever tarnished the name of the House of Savoy. More significantly, he condemned Italian Jewish citizens to persecution, first of their rights and then of their lives. Thus, on September 5, 1938, …
“Years later, as he approached his eighties, Niccolò Introna would feel the need to defend himself for the first time in his life. It was as if he were on trial, not them. Particularly not the two people in question, including Hitler’s emissary who had been shadowing him for over a year and a half.” …
Registrations are now open for the UCEI’s three-year University Degree in Jewish Studies. Established in 2000 as an extension of the Italian Rabbinical College, this program will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary during the new academic year 2024-2025, which corresponds to the Jewish year 5785. The program aims to provide “qualified foundational, methodological, and content-related …
Achinoam Nini, better known as Noa, is one of the most renowned Israeli artists globally. Her concert, titled “The voice of peace,” will conclude the current edition of the Balagan Café festival in Florence on the evening of September 5. Born in Tel Aviv in 1969, Noa is the voice behind the song “Beautiful That …
“A heartbreaking pain compounded by the shock and anguish that has exhausted us since October 7, as we grapple with the brutal murder of over 1,200 Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists and the 247 hostages (including 30 children) held in inhumane conditions in Gaza tunnels. The discovery of six more hostages brutally murdered just hours …
An expert in Jewish musical tradition and a composer and artist as well, the president of the Jewish Community of Florence Enrico Fink has embarked on a quest to find a 16th-century piece written by a distinguished rabbi and scholar who, in 1560, resided among the kabbalists in Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism in …
In one of his recent public statements, Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See Raphael Schutz called for a “healing through dialogue” between Jerusalem and the Vatican to address the ongoing issues. Some of them have been unresolved for decades, while others have been triggered by the October 7 attack and the war in Gaza. Taking …
Former Israeli ambassador to Australia, Mexico, and El Salvador, Jonathan “Yoni” Peled, is set to become the Jewish State’s representative to Italy. A seasoned diplomat, Peled will succeed Ambassador Alon Bar, who has reached the age limit for his position. Peled is expected to move to Rome soon and be established before the Jewish New …
*By Alessandro Parodi, editing by Bernadette Baum and Keith Weir Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has discussed efforts to prevent a new war in the Middle East with his Israeli and Lebanese counterparts, Israel Katz and Bou Habib, he said. Tensions escalated between Israel and armed political group Hezbollah after a rocket attack in the …
Rome’s closeness with Jerusalem, a firm condemnation of Hamas terrorism, and Italy’s commitment to regional de-escalation. These are the topics addressed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during her meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. They also discussed the Iranian threat and the commitment to bring home the 111 hostages still held in Gaza, Herzog’s …