Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

August 18th, 2014 - Av 22nd, 5774
Midsummer by Guido Vitale* For all Italians the mid August weekend traditionally represents a moment of meditation before resuming work and study. For the Italians Jews especially, this season was more intense and more agitated than ever. Conflict in the Middle East, terrorist attacks against Israel, threats of a rising anti-Semitism in Europe have darkened the horizon more than the continuous waves of bad weather that characterized this Summer. Future is uncertain, but Italians  Jews should remember the lesson that has enabled their survival in two millennia of Diaspora: problems are also a great opportunity for a new beginning. And the month of Elul on our doorstep is the right season to address them. *Guido Vitale is the editor-in-chief of Pagine Ebraiche.   Italian Word of the Week RABBINO by Daniela Gross As you can see, the Italian word for “rabbi” is not so different from the English and it is quite obvious, as both come from the common Hebrew root “rav”.  To tell the truth we use the Italian “rabbino” as frequently as the Hebrew “rav”. It is one of the first Hebrew worlds taught since the kindergarten and you learn quickly to alternate them, also because the rabbis take much care of the education of the children and the young. As you can read in this issue the Italian Rabbinate, which over the centuries has given illustrious exponents, has a strong relevance in the communities’ life: by a spiritual, religious and cultural point of view as well as by the political side. Every Italian Community, except the smallest ones, has its Chief Rabbi. Along with the Community’s president, the Rabbi is the most representative figure on the territory. Therefore, he takes part in the major public ceremonies, religious or civilians, and dialogues with the society. In Italy the Rabbis are significantly represented within the UCEI, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities through a council composed by three representatives, at now rav Alfonso Arbib, rav Adolfo Locci, rav Alberto Moshe Somekh. This Rabbinical Council is responsible for all matters of a general nature, spiritual and cultural affecting the Italian Jewry and it is elected by the Rabbinical Assembly, which reunites all Italian rabbis and is now chaired by rav Giuseppe Momigliano (Genua).		NEWS – THE TRAGEDY OF MINORITIES IN IRAq Italian Rabbis Speak Up against Indifference By Rossella Tercatin Witnessing the drama of Christians and other minorities persecuted and killed in Iraq, Italian Rabbis have raised their voices against intolerance and indifference. While new horrors committed by the militias of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria are reported on the news everyday, a number of op-eds have appeared on the main Italian papers, underlining how the situation must concern everyone. Read more ANNIVERSARIES Remembering Sant’Anna di Stazzema By Daniela Gross Seventy years ago, on August 12th 1944, in Sant’Anna di Stazzema (an Italian village located in the northern part of Tuscany), 560 civilians, mostly women, children and elders, were killed by the Nazis. In an operation intended to break all ties between the population and the Italian Resistance movement, the soldiers surrounded the village, locked up hundreds of people in barns and stables and systematically executed them. The youngest victim was only 20 days old. To remember that atrocious crime against humanity 70 years later, a solemn ceremony commemorated the victims of that massacre at the presence of the Minister of Education, University and Research Stefania Giannini and of the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities Renzo Gattegna. Read more NEWS A New Chief Rabbi for Turin By Ada Treves The Jewish Community of Turin, in Piedmont, has a new Chief Rabbi, finally. It took more than a year to find the right candidate and to arrive to the final appointment, but it is now good to announce that Rabbi Ariel Di Porto - with his family, wife and two small children - will arrive in town before the end of the month, so to be “in full activity” in time for the Moadim. Read more OUT OF THE BOOT David, Living A Double Dream in Tel Aviv By Simone Somekh* It is no secret – Italians are passionate people. Those from the ‘Boot’ are well known for their enthusiasm, and so is David Bedussa, 20, a Roman born Jew who travelled all the way to Tel Aviv, Israel, in order to fulfill his two main dreams: studying Torah and working in the field of technological innovation. *Simone Somekh is a student at Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and writes as a freelancer for the Jewish Italian press. Shirly Piperno, fashion styling and communication student at Istituto Marangoni, London, contributed reporting. Read more Português Culturas por Eliezer Di Martino* “Escuta, ó Israel, HaShem é nosso D-us, HaShem é Um”. Estas palavras são a testemunha suprema da fé judaica, cada uma das palavras merece um estudo mas a palavra Shemá, Escuta, merece uma atenção especial. Leia mais Double life By Daniela Fubini* My theory is simple: Israel is a drug. Once you start taking it, your judgment over reality and manners is twisted forever. When moving to Israel, it's best to embrace this new status soon, and the new life will become a chain of pleasant surprises, with some puzzling moments easily past with a shrug and a “lo nora” (it doesn’t matter). *Daniela Fubini lives and writes in Tel Aviv, where she arrived in 2008 from Turin via New York. Follow her on Twitter, @d_fubini   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 an occasional language 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 an understanding of the Jewish world and the debate 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: Francesco Moises Bassano, Susanna Barki, Monica Bizzio, Angelica Edna Calò Livne, Eliezer Di Martino, Alain Elkann, Daniela Fubini, Benedetta Guetta, Sarah Kaminski, Daniel Leisawitz, Annette Leckart, Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, Yaakov Mascetti, Francesca Matalon, Giovanni Montenero, Elèna Mortara, Lisa Palmieri Billig, Shirley Piperno, 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: Francesco Moises Bassano, Susanna Barki, Monica Bizzio, Angelica Edna Calò Livne, Eliezer Di Martino, Alain Elkann, Daniela Fubini, Benedetta Guetta, Sarah Kaminski, Daniel Leisawitz, Annette Leckart, Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, Yaakov Mascetti, Francesca Matalon, Giovanni Montenero, Elèna Mortara, Lisa Palmieri Billig, Shirley Piperno, Giandomenico Pozzi, Daniel Reichel, Adam Smulevich, Simone Somekh, Rossella Tercatin, Ada Treves.