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April 28th, 2014 - Nissan 28th, 5774
Your Finest Hour by Guido Vitale* The goal of giving Italian Judaism an international news system is not an easy one. But we have an extraordinary ally: the next generation, our children. After so much effort, after so many sacrifices to help our children to master foreign languages in order to face the challenges of a globalized world, starting with Hebrew and English, what for past generations was almost impossible, today is a reality. With so many young people who live and are engaged internationally, in Israel and around the world to study and work, the dream of communicating our identity is within reach. For this reason I appeal to our children: it is time for you to speak. To use the languages you have learned, and to pay tribute to our identity as Italian Jews. The time has come to take advantage of the gifts you have received. It could be your finest hour. *Guido Vitale is the editor-in-chief of Pagine Ebraiche   Italian Word of the Week: LIBRO by Daniela Gross In Italian the word “libro” designates a book (in the plural becomes “libri”). But in Italy to talk about book and books is a tricky question. Italy boasts a prestigious literary heritage, but the current situation is horrible. The latest report of Istat, the National Institute of Statistics, says that only 26 millions of Italians (more than the half of the population) read at least one book in 2012 and that the number of published works is decreasing (less than 9.4% in the last year).   In this situation it may seem heroic to dedicate an entire festival to the Italian Jewish Book like the Festa del Libro ebraico that started yesterday in Ferrara, and in some way it is. But the good news is that even in this landscape of declining readers, books and the Jewish culture mantain even today a strong and fascinating appeal. The Festa del libro ebraico mixes some irresistible ingredients: the enchanting atmosphere of a little city of the North Italy, Ferrara, that has an important Jewish history, art, events, meetings with the authors. And thanks to this formula, even in this fifth edition the initiative is confirmed as a big success.		culture Spielberg Film About Italian Jewish Boy Seized by Church By Daniela Gross The recent news that Steven Spielberg next production will be dedicated to the kidnapping of the little Edgardo Mortara, one of the most dramatic cases of the Italian Jewish history, caused a strong emotional reaction in Italian Jewry. A case that will be further illuminated by the new book by Elèna Mortara Di Veroli, Professor of American Literature at Rome University and descendent of Edgardo. “Writing for Justice”, temporary title of the manuscript just presented to the American publisher - the prestigious Dartmouth College Press - will be put in press in the next few months. The book promises to make new revelations about the historic and cultural debate about the democratic society. Read more anniversary Honoring the Jewish Brigade by Adam Smulevich Every 25th April since the end of the war Italy celebrates the Liberation Day. On that day we give special honor to the banners of the Jewish Brigade, the body of soldiers arrived from Mandatory Palestine (the future State of Israel) to free Italy from Nazism and fascism. The call of the Allied Forces was greeted by those thousands of volunteers who, after a period of training in North Africa, contributed decisively to the breaching of the Gothic Line and the opening of strategic fronts throughout Central Italy. Read more EVENTS Thousands in Ferrara to Celebrate Jewish Culture By Daniel Reichel Thousands of people gathered in the city of Ferrara on Saturday night in order to attend the opening of the “Festa del Libro ebraico in Italia” (Italian Jewish Book Fair). Not only book presentations and conferences, but also concerts, culinary events, guided tours of the Jewish itineraries of Ferrara, will animate the Fair (in the picture, the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities Renzo Gattegna and the Italian Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini). Read more news Israel To Join Expo in Milan By Simone Somekh Israel, along with 147 other countries, is set to join Expo Milano, also known as the Universal Exposition, that will take place in Milan, Italy, in 2015. The theme of the non-commercial fair will be “Feeding the Planet. Energy for life”, and Israel’s plan is to build a massive “living” wall that will illustrate its technological achievements within the agricultural field. Read more food Made in Italy & Kosher by Rossella Tercatin In Italy, food does not mean only nutrition, recipes and industry. It represents tradition, culture, the nature of the country and the society itself. A feature that is definitely not foreign to Jewish tradition, which also cherishes food and the concept of eating together, following the appropriate rituals, as a cornerstone of the Jewish life. As the interest in Kosher industry and Jewish tradition raises, two conferences organized by Pagine Ebraiche, the magazine of Italian Jewry, will be held at Cibus, the International Food Exhibition in Parma. Read more Auschwitz: "A Performance That Was Not Appropriate" by David Berger* Christians have every right to interpret the Holocaust through the prism of their religion and even to incorporate elements of Judaism and Jewish ritual into a quintessentially Christian theological context.  Criticism of this symphony because it undermines the uniqueness of the Holocaust is entirely defensible, perhaps even correct, but it does not in my view rise to a level that would justify censure of the composer and the organizers of performances of the composition, nor does this criticism stand in the way of an expression of gratitude and appreciation for the sentiments reflected in the work. Nonetheless, a performance at the most notorious of Nazi death camps is in a different category. *Rabbi David Berger is the dean of Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, as well as chair of Yeshiva College's Jewish Studies department. Read more
Follow us on    This newsletter is published under difficult conditions. The editors of this newsletter are Italian journalists whose native language is Italian. They are willing to offer their energy and their skills to give international readers the opportunity of learning more about the Italian Jewish world, its values, its culture and its traditions. In spite of all our efforts to avoid this, readers may find the occasional grammatical mistake. We count on your understanding and on your help and advice to correct these mistakes and improve our publication. Pagine Ebraiche International Edition is published by the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI). UCEI publications encourage the understanding of the Jewish world and the debates within it. The articles and opinions published by Pagine Ebraiche International Edition, unless expressly stated otherwise, cannot be interpreted as the official position of UCEI, but only as the self-expression of the people who sign them, offering their comments to UCEI publications. Readers who are interested in making their own contribution should email us at desk@ucei.it  You received this newsletter because you authorized UCEI to contact you. If you would like to remove your email address from our list, or if you would like to subscribe using a new email address, please send a blank email to  desk@ucei.it stating "unsubscribe" or "subscribe" in the subject field. © UCEI - All rights reserved - The articles may only be reproduced after obtaining the written permission of the editor-in-chief. Pagine Ebraiche - Reg Rome Court 199/2009 – Editor in Chief: Guido Vitale - Managing Editor: Daniela Gross. Special thanks to: Susanna Barki, Rabbi David Berger, Monica Bizzio, Rachel Briks, Francesca Matalon, Giovanni Montenero, Giandomenico Pozzi, Daniel Reichel, Adam Smulevich, Simone Somekh, Rossella Tercatin, Ada Treves. Questo notiziario è realizzato in condizioni di particolare difficoltà. I redattori di questo notiziario sono giornalisti italiani di madrelingua italiana. Mettono a disposizione le loro energie e le loro competenze per raccontare in lingua inglese l'ebraismo italiano, i suoi valori, la sua cultura e i suoi valori. Nonostante il nostro impegno il lettore potrebbe trovare errori e imperfezioni nell'utilizzo del linguaggio che faremo del nostro meglio per evitare. Contiamo sulla vostra comprensione e soprattutto sul vostro aiuto e sul vostro consiglio per correggere gli errori e migliorare. Pagine Ebraiche International Edition è una pubblicazione edita dall'Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane. L'UCEI sviluppa mezzi di comunicazione che incoraggiano la conoscenza e il confronto delle realtà ebraiche. Gli articoli e i commenti pubblicati, a meno che non sia espressamente indicato il contrario, non possono essere intesi come una presa di posizione ufficiale, ma solo come la autonoma espressione delle persone che li firmano e che si sono rese gratuitamente disponibili. Gli utenti che fossero interessati a offrire un proprio contributo possono rivolgersi all'indirizzo  desk@ucei.it Avete ricevuto questo messaggio perché avete trasmesso a Ucei l'autorizzazione a comunicare con voi. Se non desiderate ricevere ulteriori comunicazioni o se volete comunicare un nuovo indirizzo email, scrivete a: desk@ucei.it indicando nell'oggetto del messaggio "cancella" o "modifica". © UCEI - Tutti i diritti riservati - I testi possono essere riprodotti solo dopo aver ottenuto l'autorizzazione scritta della Direzione. Pagine Ebraiche International Edition - notiziario dell'ebraismo italiano - Reg. Tribunale di Roma 199/2009 - direttore responsabile: Guido Vitale - Coordinamento: Daniela Gross. Realizzato con il contributo di: Susanna Barki, Rav David Berger, Monica Bizzio, Rachel Briks, Francesca Matalon, Giovanni Montenero, Giandomenico Pozzi, Daniel Reichel, Adam Smulevich, Simone Somekh, Rossella Tercatin, Ada Treves.