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Rome, Italy
Winter 2022 (7 Days)
Traveling Jewish is a guide of the best of Jewish sights coupled with a history of the local Jewish community and learning more about what being Jewish looks like in Rome today. If you ever have any questions about Judaism, our culture, or anything related, please do not hesitate to reach out! If I do not know the answer I know someone that does!
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Table of Contents
The Great Synagogue - Tempio Maggiore di Roma
Opened in 1904, the Great Synagogue of Rome is the largest synagogue in the city. The synagogue is famous for its Square Dome designed by Italian architects Osvaldo Armanni and Vincenzo Costa. Its rainbow of colors and trees gives it a unique and bright feel. The trees featured in the dome all appear within the Torah!
The Great Synagogue stands in the historic Jewish Ghetto of Rome a small concentrated area where Jews were forced to live and work from 1555 until 1870. After receiving full citizenship and equal rights during the Unification of Italy, the Jewish community of Rome commissioned The Great Synagogue as a beautiful landmark to one of the world's oldest Jewish communities.
The inscription above the grand wooden door translates to Blessed shall you be in your comings and blessed shall you be in your goings.
בָּר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בְּבֹאֶ֑ךָ וּבָר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בְּצֵאתֶֽךָ
The beautiful Art Nouveau-style stained glass windows featured in the Tempio Maggiore were created by 20th-century glassmaker Cesare Picchiarini. They bask the synagogue's gold and brown interior in colorful light, reflecting the brightness of the dome above.
This Italian synagogue showcases the traditional practice of separating women and men during prayer. The gallery areas were reserved for women while the center section was reserved for men. The glimmering golden Bimah is the center point of the vast and artistically magnificent structure.
The Sephardic Synagogue
The Sephardic Synagogue is the religious home for the Roman Sephardic community, the decedents of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in the late 15th century. The synagogue has sat within the Great Synagogue since 1932, but it was originally located in a different part of Rome.
Sephardic traditions influence every aspect of this synagogue. One interesting difference between Italian and Sephardic synagogues is where the congregants sit. Sephardic synagogues have the congregants sit facing each other, with two sets of chairs facing the center of the room. Unlike in the Great Temple, where the congregants all face front towards the Bimah. Although both synagogues separate women and men for prayer services.
This intimate synagogue is decorated in yellows with vaulted ceilings and sophisticated chandeliers. Along the arch the following reads:
אַשְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ עוֹד יְהַלְלוּךָ סֶּלָה.
אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁיֲהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו.
Pslams 84:5 Fortunate are those who stay in Your house; they will continually praise You forever.
Blessed is the people Blessed is the nation whose follows God. Jewish Museum of Rome
The Jewish Museum of Rome offers an in-depth look at the long history of the Roman Jewish community. Rome is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world dating back more than 2,200 years. The museum celebrates beautiful artifacts from this longstanding community and provides interesting historical context throughout the exhibits.
Pictured above are three captivating pieces from the collection. First, a stained glass creation by Eva Fischer titled "The Blessing" which was designed especially for the Jewish Museum of Rome in the 1970s. Eva Fischer was a Croatian Jewish artist and Nazi-Resistance Activist that spent most of her time in Italy and France.
Showcased in the middle are magnificent, glittering pieces are Torah Coverings, or Mantels, created by the Roman community in the 17th and 19th centuries. Mantels are traditionally highly valued items created by women Torahs are hand-made treasures of their communities, so a lot of care and beauty went into their accessories as well. Most of these Torah Coverings were donated by wealthy families to their communities in honor of a family member.
To the left, this striking pink-flowered Menorah was inspired by the passage Exodus 25: 31-34 for the international 2017 The Morah: Cult, History, and Myth exhibit hosted at the Jewish Museum of Rome. This piece is a beautiful example of taking ancient words and creating a physical piece that is both modern and inspiring.
"31 Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them.32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms."
These three images feature Jewish art across centuries. First, a large document decorated with orange and pink detailing is a 1795 tzedakah shift schedule. It emphasizes the giving and collective nature of the Roman Jewish community because it shows a signup to collect donations of bread for the poor of the Roman Ghetto. These people, called "Zugot", organized by Israelite University, would go around the Jewish areas asking for donations to give bread to the poor. Tzedakah, giving to the poor, is a major value and obligation of Jewish life.
This piece by famed Israeli artist, Menashe Kadishman, showcases his classic sheep theme. Kadishman's work features this sheep image as a tie-in to his youth spent as a Sheppard. He features sheep in a variety of forms, this one particularly colorful and modern. Kadishman emphasized brotherhood, peace, and love through these works.
To the right is a Ketubah, or a Jewish marriage document, from a 17th- or 18th-century Roman couple. Ketubot are signed during the marriage ceremony and are often very colorful with intricate designs showing Jewish symbols. The legal document itself outlines the obligations a husband has to his wife. Although these are legal documents, they are decorated because they are often displayed in the home as a symbol of the couple's love and commitment to each other.
Jewish Ghetto
The Roman Jewish Ghetto is a vibrant neighborhood full of shops and restaurants near the Tiber River. Although there is a dark history of this neighborhood, it is a center of Jewish culture today.
The Roman Ghetto was established by a 1555 law implemented by Pope Paul IV. Pope Paul IV forced more than 4,000 Jews from around the city into this very small, constantly flooding, walled area. The area used to be swampland so floods were extremely common coupled with the low-lying nature of the Ghetto, mass outbreaks of disease were common. This was no mistake, the Pope purposely gave the Jews of Rome one of the worst areas of the city. Every night the walls surrounding the Ghetto were locked and Jews were unable to leave overnight. Even during the day, when Jews wanted to leave the Ghetto, they had to wear Yellow scarves created to identify and shame the Jewish community.
Rome is home to the largest Jewish community in Italy, around 15,000 people. The community centers around the historic Jewish Ghetto in Rome, home to the Great Synagogue, the Jewish Museum of Rome, and many Kosher shops and restaurants. The buildings you see today are not from the Ghetto days, the Ghetto was completely renovated after the walls of the Ghetto were torn down by an 1848 Papal Decree. In the doorways of some buildings, you can often see a mezuzah, a decorative piece with a portion of the Torah written on parchment paper. Jewish homes will have a Mezuzah placed in every doorway of their home, except bathrooms. Mezuzahs have become ways of expressing Jewish art and can be very intricate.
Cinque Scòle
Pizza Delle Cinque Scole or Plaza of the Five Synagogues is named after the large orange 5-floor building wrapping around its Plaza. Each floor of this building was once its own separate synagogue, all under the same roof. Roman Law stated the 4,000 Jews of Rome only could have one synagogue. But, this community was diverse, ranging in origins and denominations of Judaism. To solve for this, and still technically follow the law, the community established five different synagogues inside this building: “Scòla Nova”, “Scòla del Tempio”, “Scòla Siciliana”, la “Scòla Castigliana” and “Scòla Catalana". This complex served as the central synagogue for the Roman Ghetto from its establishment until the 1870 emancipation of Roman Jews. Much of the decorations from Cinque Scòle are on display within the Great Synagogue's Jewish Museum.
Fontana delle Tartarughe
Built in the late 16th century, legend has it this fountain was created and placed here in the name of love. Originally, this fountain's location was planned for the Roman Market's Piazza Guidea. But, the Mattei family had it moved outside their home and built within a single night.
Legend has it that a suitor had come and asked for a daughter in the Mattei family's hand in marriage. This man was known around town as being somewhat popular with women, so the leader of Mattei family did not want him to marry into their creed. The Mattei family leader told this nobleman no, he could not marry the Mattei daughter. But, this nobleman truly loved this woman, so he made an impossible bet with the Mattei family leader. He would build a brand new fountain outside of their home in one night. This seemed impossible, it took months just to carve the pieces of a fountain, let alone install it. So the Mattei family made the bet, they would approve the marriage if they saw a fountain outside their window this time tomorrow.
The nobleman went nearby and saw the Fontana delle Tartarughe ready to be installed near the Market. The nobleman paid these workers to change the location of the fountain. So that night a fountain was installed in front of the Mattei family home, and the next day the Mattei family leader approved of the nobleman and Mattei daughters' marriage!
The Colosseum
Construction on the Colosseum took about 10 years finishing in 80 CE. Sponsored by emperor Vespasian, the Colosseum was created as a gift to the Roman people after the tumultuous and exploitative reign of emperor Nero. The Colosseum was built in the middle of the drained central lake of Nero’s Golden Palace in an effort to give the land back to the public and change its symbolism of grandiose use of imperial power at the expense of the public.
The Colosseum was engraved with “Imp. Caes. Vespasianus. Aug. Amphitheatrum Novum Ex Manubis Fieri Iussit" which translates to “Emperor Caesar Vespasian Augustus ordered a new amphitheater to be made from the spoils of war.” This refers to the spoils of Jerusalem, stolen during Rome’s violent blockade of Jerusalem in the First Great Jewish Revolt 60-70 CE. The First Great Revolt came after hundreds of years of mistreatment, discrimination, and subjugation at the hands of the Romans since the beginning of their occupation in 63 BCE. After a particular spate of disrespectful laws and actions towards Judaism, like ordering all temples to include a statute of the emperor, the Jews of Jerusalem revolted. The Kana'im or Zealots, a political movement calling for rebellion and expulsion of Romans from the Holy Land, took a leading role in the First Great Revolt.
Fighting spread throughout Israel and disparate groups of Jews were able to successfully battle the local Romans and the Syrian army for some time. That is until 67 CE when emperor Nero ordered Vespasian and his son Titus to lead 60,000 well-trained Roman soldiers into Jerusalem to put down the Jewish revolt. This was an overwhelming force for the indigenous Jewish population. Eventually, Titus encircled Jerusalem, laying siege to it and killing up to a million Jewish men, women, and children over the course of the Revolt. Once Titus took over Jerusalem, he oversaw the destruction of the precious Second Temple and took any religious or cultural objects of value back to Rome. The Romans stripped Jerusalem of all its physical and human treasures, exiling Jews from their land for thousands of years. In addition, scholars believe more than 100,000 Jewish people were stolen from Israel and taken to Rome as slaves. 60,000 of these Jewish slaves built the Colosseum. With the treasures collected from Jerusalem and its Jewish population, ”the spoils of war” the Romans were able to fund and build Colosseum, their central Flavian Amphitheater.
The Colosseum itself is 630 feet by 513 feet making it the largest amphitheater in the Roman world at the time. At its highest, the Colosseum stretches 157 feet in the air, as high as a 15 story building. It is also freestanding, unlike most amphitheaters that were built into the side of mountains. The Colosseum was built with travertine limestone, tuff volcanic rock, brick, and concrete but its seating was carved white marble. The Colosseum would have been decorated with statues and ornaments to further show off the wealth of the empire.
The Colosseum hosted games for over 400 years until the 6th century AD after it suffered both physical and cultural damage. Earthquakes and lightning would physically break down the Colosseum, but the shift of focus to the East and Constantinople would be the Colosseum, and Rome’s, true downfall. Once out of favor, the Colosseum, like many declining structures in Rome, was quarried and stripped of its valuable stone and metal. It was open to the public so anyone, even officials, could take building materials from the Colosseum for their current projects. Throughout the centuries this would continue to degrade the Colosseum structure until restoration efforts finally began in the 1990s.
Only in 2021 was the underground portion of the Colosseum open to the public. This area is the staging ground for the shows, including areas to store animals and the passages gladiators would come through before a battle. Sophisticated pulley and counterweight-based elevators that would raise heavy animals and war machines onto the arena stage. This backstage area offers a look into the inner workings of performances that would entertain 50,000 Roman citizens at a time.
Tickets can be booked in advance at coopculture.it. Although a ticket to the Colosseum includes the Roman Forum, Imperial Forum, and Palatine Hill, make sure to separately book the Colosseum Underground area if you are interested! The Colosseum is open every day starting at 9 am with the last admission one hour before closing. The ticket is valid for 24 hours so you can spread these activities over two tour days!
Shoah (Holocaust) in Rome
In 1943, there were 12,000 Jews living in Rome. After the Germans invaded Italy, they began deporting Italian Jews to the death camps, primarily Auschwitz-Birkenau. The majority of the Italian public disagreed with the deportations, even going as far as hiding Italian Jews from the Nazis. The Vatican also remained neutral during the war and hid Jews within their jurisdiction. 10,000 of Rome's Jews survived the Shoah with great credit to their fellow Romans. 1,800 Jews were captured by Nazis and killed, their lives extinguished because of violent Nazi antisemitism.
Memorials can be found around the Jewish Ghetto, in banners, plaques, and stones.
Fondazione Museo della Shoah is a small photography-based museum exhibiting the effect the Shoah had on the Roman Jewish community. A banner can be seen hanging from its balcony that reads "dall'italia ad Auschwitz," both a name of an exhibit and a statement of connected sorrow.
A plaque above a window with large wreaths and flowers placed by the community below is a marking of the Roundup of the Ghetto of Rome. Aided by Mussolini's mandated census of Jews, On October 16th, 1943, hundreds of German police descended onto the Jewish Ghetto with the orders to liquidate it. The German officers violently threw Roman Jews into cattle cars, children, men, women, the elderly, any Jew that they could find. A total of 1,259 Jewish people were ripped from their homes in Rome that day, only 16 would return after the war.
There are two plaques placed in 1964 and 2001, they read
"on 16 October 1943 the ruthless hunt for Jews began and 2,099 Roman citizens were sent to ferocious death in the Nazi extermination camps where they were connected to 6,000 other Italian victims of the infamous hatred of race
For the few who survived the massacre, the many in solidarity invoke love and peace, from the Vomini invoke forgiveness and hope from God
Under the control of the national committee for the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the resistance. October 25, 1964
and they did not even begin to live.
in memory of the infants exterminated in the Nazi concentration camps, the municipality places this on the day of remembrance. January 2001"
Below the plaques are fresh flowers in large bouquets and wreaths. Even in the middle of winter, organizations and the government place their natural and beautiful signs of respect. The largest two wreaths with the blue sashes are from the Lower House of the Parliament of Italy.
Another memorial that can be found in the Ghetto is this plaque placed on a historical Hebrew school commemorates in both Hebrew and Italian, "in perpetual memory of the 112 students of these schools suppressed in the Nazi extermination camps." With a quote from Lamentations "Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have been deported." Plaques like this can be found throughout the Roman Ghetto in an effort to "Never Forgot" the tragedy of the Shoah.
Throughout Europe, there are brass memorial blocks called “Stolpersteine”, or “stumbling stones". These stones are placed outside the last know residence of a person murdered in the Shoah. Throughout Rome, you will see these stones marking the life and murder of these victims. Each stone is inscribed with "Here Lived", the name of the person, their birth year, arrest date, the death camp they were deported to, and their assassination date.
Source: digital-library.cdec.it
Featured here are six Auschwitz victims and one Fosse Ardeatine massacre victim. These people lived full lives, were a part of a community, and had families of their own.
As shown in the wedding photo above, Grazia Di Segni married Mosè Mario Spizzichino and settled their Jewish family in Rome. Grazia Di Segni gave birth to Ada Spizzichino in 1915 and Giuditta Spizzichino in 1922. Ada Spizzichino went on to marry Eugenio Calò and give birth to Rossana Calo in 1941. Giuditta, shown above in the dark lipstick, also lived with the family. The Spizzichino family was arrested by Nazis and taken from their home in Rome on October 16th, 1943.
Grazia, Ada, and Rossana were all murdered by Nazis a week later on October 23, 1943. Three generations of the Spizzichino family were wiped out in a single day. Grandmother Grazia Di Segni was 54, Mother Ada Spizzichino was 28, and Rossana Calo was only 2 years old when they were murdered in Auschwitz. Giuditta Spizzichino died almost a year later at the age of 22, also within the Auschwitz death camp.
The second group of stumbling stones honors the Di Capua family, two parents and their son. Dora Piattelli and Zaccaria Di Capua were married in Rome and settled their family in the Roman Ghetto. Dora gave birth to Amadio Di Capua in 1926 during the sunny month of May. Both mother, Dora, and her son, Amadio, were kidnapped from their community and deported to Auschwitz on October 16th, 1943, the same day as the Spizzichino family.
Zaccaria remained in the Roman Ghetto without his wife and 17-year-old son. That is until early the following year, Zaccaria was killed in the March Fosse Ardeatine massacre, a mass killing by Nazi troops as punishment for the Italian Resistance Via Rasella attack on Nazi occupiers. At this point, both of Amadio's parents were murdered by Nazis, a month after he turned 18 years old in the Auschwitz death camp. One year later, Zaccaria was also murdered in the Auschwitz death camp on March 1st, 1945.
These are the stories of just two families affected by the Shoah. You can see these stumbling stones across Rome, Italy, and Europe. Take a picture of them as you pass, then go back and learn about these families and their history.
Thank you so much for checking out the latest in my Traveling Jewish series! We are currently going through all of our amazing images from our recent Italy trip, so check back daily for updates! First we will be in Rome, followed by Florence, Bologna, Venice and Milan.
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