Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and a high-level delegation of government ministers and businesspeople flew to Israel for a bilateral summit with Israeli leaders. It is Monti’s second visit to Israel in just over six months. Thursday’s meeting is the third such Italy-Israel intergovernmental summit and its announced themes are growth, science and culture. A…
In a medieval tavern in 21st century Italy, waitresses in archaic costumes served a tepid, chalk-white substance the texture of oatmeal to tables filled with slightly skeptical diners. Sweet yet salty, and flavored with a mix of unexpectedly tangy spices, it turned out to be a tasty puree made from shredded chicken breast, almond milk,…
Italy’s prime minister promised Italian Jews he would stand beside them in the fight against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. “We know that anti-Semitism has not been eradicated in Europe,” Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said at a ceremony Tuesday night marking the 69th anniversary of the World War II round-up and deportation of 1,024 Roman…
Krakow’s Progressive Jewish community has received its first Torah scroll, which was donated by a sister community in Milano. The Torah scroll arrived in Poland and at the Beit Krakow community on Oct. 5 along with several members of Milano’s Beth Shalom Jewish Reform Congregation, according to Magda Koralewska of Beit Krakow. Rabbi Leigh Lerner…
Italian scholar Cesare Colafemmina, an internationally known pioneer in the study of Jewish history and culture in southern Italy, has died. Colafemmina died Wednesday after a long illness at the age of 79. A university professor, archeologist and specialist in Jewish inscriptions and ancient history, Colafemmina wrote and researched extensively on the Jewish presence in…
What food goes with fire and brimstone? What do you eat in honor of divine revelation? These are questions I’ve been pondering lately. The holiday of Shavuot, which starts at sunset tonight, recalls the giving of Torah, that pivotal moment when the people of Israel gathered at Mount Sinai and experienced direct divine revelation. It…
You would probably never guess it, but the heavily tattooed Gabriele Corcos, who co-hosts the Cooking Channel’s “Extra Virgin” with his wife Debi Mazar, was raised in a kosher home in Florence, Italy. He’s the son of a Jewish father and Catholic mother (who had a Jewish father). Before heading back to Italy to film…
Sotheby’s New York sale of important Judaica, an annual event featuring ceremonial metalwork, manuscripts and printed books, takes place this year on December 15. Leading the auction are a pair of Italian-made silver Torah finials belonging to Sha’ar HaShamayim, the Great Synagogue of Gibraltar. Other items such as 15th-century Torah scroll from Poland are also…
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