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October 19, 2015 - Cheswan 6, 5776
Schmerz By Guido Vitale* “Ganz klar, Schmerz von Zeruya Shalev. Die Protagonistin Iris ist – wie die Autorin selbst – vor zehn Jahren in Israel bei einem Terroranschlag schwer verletzt worden. Auf der Suche nach einem Schmerztherapeuten trifft sie auf Eitan, ihre große Jugendliebe, der ihr Jahre vor dem Attentat den ersten großen Schmerz zugefügt hatte. Sie war 17, als er sie verließ. Über diese Trennung war Iris nie hinweggekommen. Und ausgerechnet jetzt soll er sie heilen". (Rachel Salamander, Frankfurter Buchmesse) *Guido Vitale is the editor-in-chief of Pagine Ebraiche.   The Perfect Citron By Daniela Gross The Search for the Perfect Citron Strengthens the Ties with Jews. Rabbis and Farmers on the Tirrenian coast: Harvesting is a Rite.” Given that Sukkoth is already over, this headline might sound strange. However, in these days so full of bad news, it’s a relief to find on the Corriere della Sera this nice article by Paolo Salom. “The citron […] is the reason why, when summers begins to fade, many Italian and European rabbis reach the ‘citron coast’ in Calabria.” In this southern region located just in the heel of Italy, they look for the best citron for Sukkoth, a holiday where the branches of a palm tree (lulav), two willows (aravot), a minimum of three myrtles together with the fruit of a citron tree are blessed and waved. The search for citron fruits is very accurate, since the fruits must be flawless, and in South Italy it plays an additional symbolic meaning. Thanks to this unusual pilgrimage, wrote Salom, Jews had the opportunity of rediscovering a magnificent area, where they thrived for centuries and from which they had to flee after the Spanish Expulsion.		NEWS Thousands Join Rally for Israel in Rome By Adam Smulevich Thousands of people gathered in front of the Embassy of Israel in Rome on Sunday to express their solidarity with the people of Israel. Organized by the Jewish Community of Rome and supported by the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), the event was also attended by representatives of different political parties (both left and right wing).   Read more NEWS A Seminar Inaugurates the Temporary Shoah Museum of Rome  By Rossella Tercatin Every year, on October 16, the Jewish Community of Rome commemorates the infamous “razzia del Ghetto”, the raid against Roman Jews perpetrated by the Nazis and the Fascists in 1943, when over 1,000 people were arrested and sent to death camps. This year to mark the anniversary, there was not only a silent march and an official ceremony, but also a new beginning for the Holocaust Museum of Rome. Pending the construction works needed for the permanent venue (Villa Torlonia, the former residence of dictator Benito Mussolini), the first event inaugurated the use of the temporary site at Casina dei Vallati: a seminar for teachers was held there. Read more NEWS Italian Chamber Approves a Law against Holocaust Denial By Adam Smulevich The Italian Parliament has passed a bill criminalizing Holocaust denial only a few months after the green light was given by the Senate. The bill passed with a large majority. The proposed bill will punish people who promote, incite or commit acts of racial discrimination based in part or entirely on the denial of the Shoah. Read more EVENTS - Starred Chefs Celebrate Jewish Food and Traditions in Milan By Daniel Reichel Michelin-starred chefs celebrated Jewish food and traditions as a part of the festival of Jewish culture “La tenda di Abramo” (Abraham’s Tent), which took place in Milan last week.  The festival was focused on the concept of food as a sign of welcome, as a concrete gesture of solidarity towards others as well as a way to open a dialogue among diverse traditions. The opening the event was a symbolic lunch provided to the needy and homeless prepared by starred chef Heinz Beck. Chef Beck created dishes that followed both kosher and halal rules. Read more media Nostalgia and Colors in the new issue of DafDaf By Ada Treves Nostalgia is the opening theme of the October issue of DafDaf, the Jewish magazine for kids, where the long Summer days are the subject of Luisa Valenti's illustration for the cover. But sadness is not destined to last long: in the first pages Maria Teresa Milani explains the story of a song she is fond of. She explains: "As I've written before, every song tells a story, which is not only he story of the text but also that of those who wrote it and performed it in all times." And this month, right after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the chosen song is Shana Tova, music by Nahum Nardi, words by Levin Kipnis, with the voice of the unforgettable Ofra Haza. Read more Português Homem justo e perfeito por Eliezer Di Martino* “…Era homem justo e perfeito em suas gerações, e andava com Deus.” (Génesis 6, 9) NoaH é uma das mais interessantes figuras da Tora e isto é evidenciado logo no início da Paracha. Ninguém na Tora recebeu este tipo de elogio, nem Abraão, nem Isaac, nem Jacob, nem José, nem Moisés nem Josué. Todavia, a ultima cena da sua vida esté cheia de Pathos: “E começou NoaH a cultivar a terra e plantou uma vinha. Bebeu do vinho, e embriagou-se; e achava-se nu dentro da sua tenda. E Ham, pai de Canan, viu a nudez de seu pai, e o contou a seus dois irmãos que estavam fora. Então tomaram Shem e Yafet uma capa, e puseram-na sobre os seus ombros, e andando virados para trás, cobriram a nudez de seu pai, tendo os rostos virados, de maneira que não viram a nudez de seu pai.” (Génesis 9, 20-23)   *O rabino Eliezer di Martino é o rabino-chefe de Trieste. Leia mais A Short Note from a Participating Spectator By Yaacov Mascetti* The last two weeks have been rather difficult in Jerusalem, so I am going to put on hold my personal reflections on Judaism and exegetical messiness, and will just write a few lines on my experience of the violence here in the city I live in. In my posts on Pagine Ebraiche I have been trying, repeatedly and in different ways, to support my need for the Other – but when all that very complex post-modern meets the reality of people who do not share your belief in understanding, opening up to, listening and speaking in a fertile dialogue, but actually stab and run over and cut apart and joy in the death of Jews, that's when I put on hold my calm academic self and place the angry personality in forefront. I believe in listening, I believe in acknowledging the suffering of the other, but when I am the target of an attack, there is no place to listening and dialogue – there is only place for self-defense. *Yaakov Mascetti holds a Ph.D. and teaches at the Department of Comparative Literature, Bar Ilan University. 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, Amanda Benjamin, Monica Bizzio, Angelica Edna Calò Livne, Eliezer Di Martino, Alain Elkann, Dori Fleekop, Daniela Fubini, Benedetta Guetta, Sarah Kaminski, Daniel Leisawitz, Annette Leckart, Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, Yaakov Mascetti, Francesca Matalon, Jonathan Misrachi, Anna Momigliano, Giovanni Montenero, Elèna Mortara, Sabina Muccigrosso, Lisa Palmieri Billig, Jazmine Pignatello, Shirley Piperno, Giandomenico Pozzi, Daniel Reichel, Colby Robbins,  Danielle Rockman, Lindsay Shedlin, Michael Sierra, Rachel Silvera, Adam Smulevich, Simone Somekh, Rossella Tercatin, Ada Treves, Lauren Waldman, Sahar Zivan. 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, Amanda Benjamin, Monica Bizzio, Angelica Edna Calò Livne, Eliezer Di Martino, Alain Elkann, Dori Fleekop, Daniela Fubini, Benedetta Guetta, Sarah Kaminski, Daniel Leisawitz, Annette Leckart, Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, Yaakov Mascetti, Francesca Matalon, Jonathan Misrachi, Anna Momigliano, Giovanni Montenero, Elèna Mortara, Sabina Muccigrosso, Lisa Palmieri Billig, Jazmine Pignatello, Shirley Piperno, Giandomenico Pozzi, Daniel Reichel, Colby Robbins,  Danielle Rockman, Lindsay Shedlin, Michael Sierra, Rachel Silvera, Adam Smulevich, Simone Somekh, Rossella Tercatin, Ada Treves, Lauren Waldman, Sahar Zivan.