The coexistence of the Jews of Mantua and the Gonzagas, the family that ruled the Lombard city from 1328 to 1708 was \u201clong\u201d and \u201cat times troubled.\u201d The exhibition The Gonzaga family and the Jews of Mantua recounts this story. Housed in the Mirror Room of the Ducal Palace, the residence of the Gonzaga family, and curated by former president of the Jewish Community Emanuele Colorni and scholar Mauro Patuzzi, it is open until August 4. Colorni and Patuzzi authored two informative books on local Jewry titled C\u2019era una volta il ghetto. Storia, immagini e guida di Mantova ebraica (Once upon a time there was the ghetto. History, images and guideto Jewish Mantua) and C\u2019era una volta il coro degli ebrei. Un secolo di canto e musica a Mantova (Once upon a time there was the Jews\u2019 choir. A century of chant and music in Mantua).
\nBoth books align closely with the exhibition, which draws from research conducted at the Gonzaga Archive and the Archive of the Jewish Community, the initiative\u2019s promoter. In a chronological series of fifteen educational panels, the curators explore the different stages of this relationship, emphasizing, as Colorni noted, \u201cthe richness of these two archives, which I would love to see be better known and visited.\u201d
\nThe exhibition reveals that the first Jews settled in the Mantuan territory in the late 14th century, initially seeking residence permits to work as moneylenders. Over time, they took on roles such as merchants, artisans and teachers, forming a community that flourished economically, religiously, and culturally. Notably, Mantua was where the first edition of the Zohar, a cornerstone of Jewish mysticism, was printed.
\nWalking through Mantua today reminds visitors that \u201cthere once was the ghetto,\u201d echoing one of Colorni and Patuzzi\u2019s book titles. The Gonzaga family enforced the ghetto from 1610 to 1612, and despite subsequent Austrian rule, Mantuan Jews were forced to live within its confines for over two centuries until the Risorgimento liberated them from these restrictions.
\nOverall, Colorni stated, \u201cthe Jewish experience under the Gonzaga rule was largely positive and mutually beneficial for both the Jewish minority and the Christian majority. A significant lesson in coexistence even relevant today.\u201d<\/p>\n