Il Ghetto: The Venice Ghetto at 500. On display from March 29

Il Ghetto: The Venice Ghetto at 500
On display March 29 - July 31, 2016 during regular Library hours.

The Venice Ghetto, whose name derives from the Venetian word geto (foundry), was established in 1516 as a place of segregation. Within its relative security, however, the Jews prospered culturally, and the Ghetto became an important cultural crossroad for various Jewish communities—Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Turkish, Italian—as well as a setting for dialogue between Jews and Gentiles. This exhibition, marking the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Venice Ghetto, offers us an opportunity to explore how the Ghetto’s complex fabric of isolation and interaction resonates with our contemporary Jewish experience.

The Jewish Community Library gratefully acknowledges the Museo Italo Americano for making this exhibition possible. Many of the exhibit panels were part of the Museo’s exhibition Il Ghetto: Forging Italian-Jewish Identities, 1516 – 1870 (2008-2009), curated by David M. Rosenberg-Wohl. Lecture made possible, in part, by Rebekah and Chen Sapirstein.

Curatorial Consultant: Elayne Grossbard. Advisors: Murray Baumgarten, Sheila Baumgarten, and Mary Serventi Steiner for the Museo Italo Americano. Additional acknowledgments: Shaul Bassi, Venice Center for International Jewish Studies; Alberto Jona Franco, photographer of Italian Jewish treasures.