Naples, Pompeii and Amalfi – Two Millenia of Jewry
One of my more interesting heritage visits was to the city of Naples and its Western Sephardic community. Sephardic exiles moved there in 1492, however, when Spain took control in […]
Tag Archives: Italy
Ki Tetze -King Henry VIII’s Yibum
This week’s Torah reading is central to one of the greatest controversies in the history of England, the Levirate marriage of King Henry VIII, and Sephardim helped to cast the […]
Genoa, Italy – Columbus, Cinque Terre, and Sephardim
Up the Italian coast from Pisa is Liguria. This region encompasses the historic Republic of Genoa. Genoa was a major banking centre in the 16th century, and it maintained close […]
Pisa, Italy – Yup, Sephardic Too!
When you think Pisa, you think one thing and only one thing. To my delight, I discovered that Pisa should also be known for something else, and that is its […]
Florence, Italy – Sephardic Transcendence
I was deeply moved by my visit to Florence. Of course, no one would be surprised by that reaction, but for me it wasn’t a result of the city of […]
Livorno, Italy – The Forgotten Sephardic City
As much as I love discovering the communities of the Western Sephardim, I’ve come to realise that sometimes travel isn’t enough – some things are only preserved in the pages […]
Lido, Italy – Venice’s Jewish Cemetery Island
Venice’s Jewish cemetery is reachable only by boat. It is located on the island of Lido, just to the east of the lagoon city. In fact, it’s been Venice’s place […]
Behind the Scenes in Venice, Italy
Since visiting Venice for the first time last year I’ve been dreaming of going back. For me Venice is more about being there than about anything in particular that you […]
The Venetian Ghetto – Birthplace of the S&P
Venice is where it all began for the Western Sephardim (though there may be some antecedents in Ferrara). It was there that the first openly Jewish Western Sephardic (“S&P”) community was […]
