BH
Highlights of Jewish-Italian Relations
~פורים איטליאנו~
Published in conjunction with Purim Italiano @ Chabad NP 5775
Most of the information is gleaned from Jewish Virtual Library.
1652 BCE – Birth of Jacob (Israel) and Esau (father of Rome)
"Two nations are in your womb, and two nations from your insides will diverge." --- Genesis 25:23
1637 BCE – Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red lentils.
1589 BCE – Jacob steals Isaac’s blessings; Esau super-disappointed; Jacob flees for his life.
After Esau begs for at least one blessing, Isaac says: "Behold, of the fat of the earth shall be thy dwelling," by which, according to Midrash, he meant Greater Greece, in Italy.
(The blessing Isaac gave to Esau was unconditional. Whether he deserved them or not, Esau was to enjoy all the pasta and portabella mushrooms in the world. Jacob's blessing, however, depended upon his pious deeds; through them he would receive bagels and (lactose free) cream cheese.)
1555 BCE – Jacob and Esau reunite after 34 years. Goes relatively well (close call with Esau trying to bite Jacob’s neck but it turns into a semi-heartfelt kiss).
Jacob had hoped that the age of world peace and Divine consciousness had arrived, but recognizes that Esau is not quite there. After Esau invites Jacob to Seir, Jacob replies:
“Let my master (Esau) go on, ahead of his servant, while I move on at my own slow pace…at the pace of the children—until I reach my master at Seir.”
Jacob prefers to take the long and difficult route of Jewish history, “making all local stops,” until Jacob and Esau (spirit and matter, Israel and the nations) can merge in the era of G‑dly peace.
1301 BCE—Israelites are in the desert and commanded about the mitzvah of Lulav and Etrog. Moses sends messengers to Calabria, in the south of Italy, to bring back etrogim. (Because you always go top of the line “Made in Italy” with a mitzvah.)
70 BCE —Second Temple in Jerusalem destroyed by Titus.
Okay…it’s mostly bad news for the Jews from here. So we’ll save most of the bad news for Tisha B’av and leave the good ones. (#keepin’it-upbeat)
100 —Oldest known synagogue in Western Europe is established in Ostia, the port of Rome. It serves the resident Jewish community, as well as transient sailors. It is excavated in 1961.
900 —During this century, Jews from N. France and N. Italy, speaking a language called Laaz, begin speaking earliest Yiddish, as a result of contact with German speakers.
1240 — Italian Talmudist, Rabbi Zedekiah ben Abraham Anav, writes a major halachic compendium (Shibolei Haleket) on the liturgy and holiday customs of Roman Jews, who have developed their own distinct brand of Judaism, different from Ashkenazic and Sephardic Judaism
1480 — Soncino family begins establishing Hebrew presses throughout Italy and in Constantinople and Salonika.
1488 — First complete edition of Hebrew Bible printed I Soncino, Italy, by Abraham ben Hayyim
1529 — Scuola Grande Tedesca, oldest synagogue in Venice opens-Ashkenazic
1531 — Earliest Jewish play in Europe: Italian historian mentions a Purim play he witnessed in the Venice ghetto. Plays with biblical themes are popular in Europe
1559 — Permission granted for the printing of the Zohar, book of Jewish mysticism, at the same time 12,000 other Torah books are burned.
1565 —Rabbi Joseph Caro’s Shulchan Aruch is first printed in Venice.
1566 —Maimonides’ "Thirteen Principles" appears in the Venice Haggadah; probably the earliest statement of these principles in doctrinal form.
1587 —The rabbis of Jerusalem appeal to the Jews of Italy to finance the restoration of the Nachmanides synagogue in Jerusalem (attesting to their stature and wealth among world Jewry).
1874-82 — The Moorish Revival Synagogue in Florence is built. David Levy willed his entire estate for the building of a temple worthy of the city.
1904 — The Great Synagogue of Rome is built.
1943 — January: the Italians refuse to cooperate with the Nazis in rounding up the Jews living in the zone of France under their control. In March, they will prevent the Nazis from deporting Jews in their zone.
1951 — Excavations in Rome find the remains of a small synagogue built into the southwestern chapel of the Severan basilica in the 5th cen.
1958-1961 — Chabad emissaries arrive in Milan: Rabbi Gershon Mendel Gorelik and Rebbetzin Bassie Gorelik. (Important tidbit: Rabbi Gorelik’s name appears on the hechsher of the Bartenura Blue Moscato.)
Rabbi Moshe Lazar and Rebbetzin Judy Lazar of Brooklyn join Chabad in Italy. Judy is the aunt of Rebbetzin Esty Marcus, director of Chai Preschool.
Rabbi Lazar begins supervising the kashrut of Etrogim in Calabria, Italy. Invents The Etrodka, an etrog infused liqueur.
1964 — The Third Vatican Council repudiates the notion of the Jewish people as ‘rejected, cursed or guilty of deicide," and admonished Catholics not to "teach anything that could give rise to hatred or contempt of Jews in the hearts of Christians."
1975 —The United Nations adopts the resolution that determines that Zionism is racism, by a vote of 72 in favor; 35 against; with 32 abstentions. Italy votes against the resolution.
1987 — The Union of Italian Jewish Communities and the Italian government sign an agreement that the community will no longer be a public body that is controlled by the state. Jews can observe the Sabbath and holidays wherever employed and can obtain kosher food in public institutions.
2000 — Vatican issues "Memory and Reconciliation," listing several major areas in which the Church had failed, including the Inquisition, forced conversion and the treatment of Jews.
2015 — Fifteen Chabad centers operating in Italy, run by 24 Chabad couples. Jewish life flourishing with new shuls and Kosher restaurants opening continuously. Rome, with over 15 Kosher restaurants and shuls, sees exponential growth in the last decade.
Projections for Jewish-Italian relations: Peace between Jacob and Esau (and Ishmael) finally achieved, ushering in a world free of war, famine, disease, rivalry, and daytime TV.
And Jacob said to Esau: “Let my master go on, ahead of his servant (Jacob), while I move on at my own slow pace…at the pace of the children—until I reach my master at Seir.”