Immanuel’s Riddle
“But when I raise my voice at Kedushah or Yozer, the fountains of song open wide. And on Kippur, or Purim, or any of the holidays, whether I chant a…
Academia
The Last Muslims in Italy
During Dante’s lifetime, the only Muslim city on the Italian peninsula ceased to exist. Dante does not mention Lucera Saracenorum (a Latin placename meaning “Lucera of the Saracens”) in his writings,…
Advertising the Self: Formiggini’s Talking Postcards
In an era in which advertising was not yet an industry but rather an incipient trade entrusted more to imagination than anything else, the Italian publisher Angelo Fortunato Formiggini invented…
Under Gentile Eyes
Representations of the Jews and Judaism in Medieval and Modern Europe Edited by Fabrizio Franceschini and Enrico Giaccherini Image: Venice, Esther Scroll, late 18th century, Florence, Jewish Museum …
Jewish Citizens
The National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah opened its third exhibition entitled Beyond the Ghetto. Inside Out curated by Andreina Contessa, Simonetta Della Seta, Carlotta Ferrara degli Uberti,…
Angelo Fortunato Formiggini: An Italian Publisher
Born in Modena to a family of court jewelers who had maintained their private synagogue for generations, Angelo Fortunato Formiggini (1878–1938) was a publisher first in Modena (1908–11), then in…
Slavery and Conversion in Papal Rome
A conversation with Marina Caffiero. Your best known research focuses on the history of forced baptisms of Jews during the Inquisition era and on the institution of the House of…
The Persecution and Exile of Jewish Musicians in Fascist Italy
The disproportionate impact (despite all of today’s technology and social media) of the current pandemic on musicians and performers is a pale indication of what it means —creatively, financially, and…
For a Memory Culture Beyond Victims and Perpetrators
This essay appears an preface to the English edition of Valentina Pisanty’s book The Guardians of Memory (CPL Editions, 2021). Valentina Pisanty’s The Guardians of Memory opens with a paradox…
A Convert’s Tale
A Convert’s Tale: Art, Crime, and Jewish Apostasy in Renaissance Italy. Tamar Herzig’s meticulously researched and superbly written book offers an intriguing view into the dramatic life story of Salomone…