There is a “hidden treasure” in Livorno. It is the Talmud Torah library, which is preserved under the local Jewish Museum in Via Micali. This Sephardic library contains 3,925 volumes, 1,878 of which are rare. Guido Servi, a former Culture Councillor of the Jewish Community of Livorno, worked on the library with Duccio Bedarida and other young University of Pisa graduates as part of I-Tal-Ya Books, the digital census promoted by UCEI. Servi now aims to complete three more phases to make the library more accessible to the public. First, he will finish the “dusting reclamation” that began a few months ago. Then, he will catalog the volumes according to current criteria. Finally, he will “unveil” the library by transferring all data online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It’s a hidden treasure that we must uncover,” explained Servi. “This will require a significant financial contribution, but I am sure it will be worth it.” It all started many years ago as a volunteer, he said. <\/strong>“I was asked to review and subdivide a small group of books placed in the rooms of the former Community kindergarten at the Marini oratory” to free up space to be rented to a private kindergarten. However, “the more I analyzed the registers and documents, the more interesting this small gig became, and it even held some surprises.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was especially true when, during a reconnaissance mission, he spotted a yellow envelope containing ten sheets of parchment, handwritten on both sides in sepia ink. The envelope contained nothing less than an original copy of the Leggi Livornine<\/em>, the Livorno Laws of 1593, which granted Jews the right to establish their nation in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n