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ITALIAN JEWISH INSTITUTIONS

Union of the Italian Jewish Communities

The congress of representatives of all Italian Jewish Communities. It was established in 1931, to centralize Jewish institutions under a single umbrella.

Fondazione Beni Culturali Ebraici in Italia

The agency for the preservation of Jewish heritage in Italy. Manages preservation, accessibility and research projects throughout the peninsula.

Italian Rabbinical College

Italian rabbinical seminary. Established in Padua in 1829, it was the earliest modern rabbinical seminary. It was closed in 1871, revived in Rome in 1887, transferred to Florence, and returned to Rome. It reopened in 1955.

ITALIAN LITURGICAL TRADITIONS

Italian Jewish liturgical traditions

Israel-based resource offering online prayer books, commentaries, and classics of the Italian rabbinical tradition, audio files of Torah reading, prayers, holidays’ songs, classes, learning tools for daily and holidays’ rituals, bar-mitzwa material, and language courses.

Prayer books of Italian rite

J-Italy section on Italian prayerbooks for the daily and holiday ritual available online from libraries and private collections.

Siddur Bené Romi

Italian prayerbooks available from Stanford University Library.

Florentine liturgical traditions

An archive of musical scores, liturgical text and cantorial recordings from the Florentine tradition including important early 20th century cantors such as
Umberto Genazzani Rav Fernando Belgrado and Rav David Prato.

Piyutim from around the world

A resource on the tradition of liturgical poems seat to music from all over the world. Some beautiful Italian examples can be found in this site.

ACADEMIC ORGANIZATIONS

Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation, Milan

Research center and archive of the Shoah in Italy and 20th century’s Italian Jewry.

Italian Studies at the Hebrew University

Innovative courses, seminars and study in Italy programs foster learning, debate and coexistence.

Israeli Association for the Study of Italian Jews

The network for the study of Italian Jewish history in Israel.

Italian Association for Jewish Studies

The main interdisciplinary network of scholars involved with Italian Jewish studies.

Centro Interdipartimentale di Studi Ebraici, Pisa

An interdepartmental project for the study of Italian Jewish history, culture and philosophy supports ongoing seminars, research and collaborative projects.

Viterbi Program in Mediterranean Jewish Studies, UCLA

The first US-based program for the study of Italian and Mediterranean Jewish history.

Italia Judaica – The Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel-Aviv University

The Israeli center for the study of Jewish life in Italy through the publication of the Documentary History of the Jews in Italy, the Historical Lexicon of the Jews in Italy, and the Classified Bibliography of the History of the Jews in Italy.

Centro Internazionale di Studi Primo Levi, Turin

The main center for research and documentation of Primo Levi’s writings.

Venice International Center for Jewish Studies

An international laboratory for writers, scholars and artists based in Venice historic Ghetto.

MUSEUMS AND DIGITAL MUSEUM TOOLS

Jewish Sites in Italy

A Google map of Italian Jewish historic sites developed by the National Foundation for Jewish Heritage.

National Museum of Italian Jewry in Ferrara (MEIS)

A project of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities and the Ministry of Culture to narrate, debate and interpret the Italian Jewish experience throughout history.

Museo Ebraico di Roma

Furnishing, textiles, ritual and daily objects, books, scrolls and manuscripts documenting over twenty-two centuries of Roman Jewish life.

Museo Ebraico di Padova

The story of the Jewish community of Padua, home to one of Europe’s first Rabbinical Colleges.

Museo Ebraico di Casale Monferrato

One of the most beautiful baroque synagogues in Italy. The archive and collection of liturgical art are open to the public.

Museo Ebraico di Bologna

A multimedia museum of the history of the Jews of Bologna and Emilia Romagna.

Museo Ebraico di Trieste

A skillfully assembled exhibition on the history of a diverse community combining Austro-Hungarian and Mediterranean heritages.

Museo Ebraico di Soragna

Delightful synagogue and museum. The ark was donated to the Knesset in Israel.

Museo Ebraico di Firenze

Synagogue and museum of a Jewish community that flourished under Medici rule. The building was erected after the unification of Italy and the abatement of the old ghetto.

Museum of Diaspora

One of the largest repositories of the history of Jews from all over the world.

Comunità Ebraica di Napoli

A beautiful synagogue and museum serving as reference for Jewish communal life all over Southern Italy.

Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art

The museum of Italian Jews in Israel.

ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES

Central Library of the Italian Jewish Communities

Central library and archives of the Italian Jewish communities created in the 1980s by Tullia Zevi to preserve the documentation of Jewish communities and families.

Jewish Library of Venice Renato Maestro

The Jewish library of Venice and its collection of precious volumes and manuscripts.

Archivio Ebraico Terracini

Important collection of Italian Jewish traditions and folklore collected by Benvenuto and Alessandro Terracini.

Judaica Europeana – Tricolore e Stella di Davide

The Italian partnership on Judaica Europeana.

Historical Archive of the Jewish Community of Rome

An unparalleled archive of manuscripts, notary and community affairs records, books, and correspondence documenting the history of one of the most ancient Jewish communities in the West.

Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea

The main archive and research center on the Shoah in Italy and the history of 20th century Italian Jewry.

De Rossi Collection

One of the world’s most important collections  of Jewish manuscripts and printed books coming from the Library of the Abbot Giovanni Bernardo De Rossi (1742-1831) at the Biblioteca Palatina in Parma.

Fondazione Giuseppe Emanuele e Vera Modigliani

The personal and political papers of Menè Modigliani, founder of the first Italian union, antifascist exile and member of the constitutional assembly.

Medici Archive Project

A research and digitization project based at the Medici archives in Florence.

Judaica Libraries Online

Resource for scholars and readers.

Archivio Centrale dello Stato

Italian National archives documenting the political, economic, cultural and social life of the country from 1870 to the present.

Union Catalogue of Periodicals in Italian Libraries

Access portal for Italian periodicals.

Digital Library in Medieval Studies – Reti Medievali

Portal of research, library and archives in Medieval studies.

The Jewish Archives of Piedmont

A new collaborative website offer access to the Jewish archives of Piedmont. This rich and well presented resource weaves together historical literature with a vast collection of digitized documents narrating various aspects of Jewish communal life in the region.

THE SHOAH IN ITALY

Centro Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea

The most important archive and research center on the Shoah in Italy.

Database of Foreign Jews in Italy 1938-1945

An extensive resource on the history of Jewish internment in Italy during the Second World War.

Italian Concentration Camps

Database of the fascist camps in Italy and the territories controlled by Italians during the fascist period.

Shoah Memorial Foundation in Milan

Memorial built at the train station from where Milan Jews were deported. Functions as educational center.

Fondazione Fossoli

Memorial established on the grounds of the largest Italian concentration camp. From here, starting in 1943, over 2,500 Jews were transported to Auschwitz.

The Joint Distribution Committee Archive

The Joint Distribution Committee’s archives contain extensive documentation on the relation between the Joint, the Italian Jewish relief agency Delasem and prior refugees committees starting in the early 1930s.

PUBLICATIONS

Quest – Perspectives on European Jewry

The only journal of Jewish studies in Italy. In english and available online.

La Rassegna Mensile di Israel

Founded in 1925, it’s the oldest active Jewish journal in Italy. It’s archive is available through JStor and new issues are available by subscription. In Italian.

Materia Giudaica

Journal of Italian Jewish studies published through the Italian Association for Jewish studies an the Giuntina publishing house. Back issues available online.

Italia

Israeli journal of Italian Jewish studies directed by Robert Bonfil.

Italia Judaica

Israel-based publication series and online resource in Italian Jewish Studies directed by Shlomo Simonsohn.

Zakhor, Rivista di Storia

Beautiful but short-lived journal in Jewish history published by La Giuntina.

PERIODICALS

Pagine Ebraiche

Popular online and printed newspaper of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities.

Morasha

Religious publishing house and online resource on the history of the Jewish of Italy. Publishes siddurim according to the Italian rite.

Shalom

Traditional Rome-based Jewish monthly.

HaKehilla

Liberal bimonthly publication featuring essays and opinion editorials from the Gruppo di Studi Ebraici in Turin, funded in 1968.

Kolot

Independent blog in Italian Jewish current affairs.

Mosaico

Online paper of the Jewish Community of Milan.

LANGUAGES

Judeo-Italiano

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Judeo_Italiano, bibliography

Comparative online resource on Jewish languages with an extensive section on Italy.

HEBREW MANUSCRIPTS

Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts

Comprehensive online resource on Hebrew manuscripts crested by the Jewish National and University Library (Israel National Library).

Downloadable Classics in Hebrew

Extensive online library of Hebrew classics, indexed and searchable.

Downloadable Hebrew Classics

Online library of Hebrew classics, religious and philosophical texts.

GENEALOGY

Italian Jewish Genealogy

Resource on Italian Jewish genealogy. Excellent tool to access archives and libraries in Italy for historical research in general.

Italian Family History

Aliquam tempus mattis massa. Duis sagittis sagittis sodales. Mauris ultricies, augue ac vestibulum placerat

JEWISH MUSIC AND THEATER

Bibliography of Italian Jewish Music

Francesco Spagnolo’s bibliography of Italian Jewish Music.

Jewish Music Libraries

Libraries and collections of Jewish music worldwide.

Jewish Music Research Center at HUJ

The Hebrew University’s online resource offering research, bibliography and audio files.

National Sound Archives in Jerusalem

Recordings of Jewish liturgical and folkloric music from different traditions.

Jewish Theater Archive

Online library dedicated to Jewish theater worldwide and featuring essays of interest for Italian Jewish studies.

Piyutim Archive in Jerusalem

Portal dedicated to the tradition of liturgical poetry and its versions in music.

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