Venice - Jewish ghetto

Steven stands in Campo di Ghetto Nuovo

The term "ghetto" is the poorly translated word for geto, which means "foundry" in Venetian. It was in Venice that the term "ghetto" first became affiliated with Jews.  From the 1516 until Napoleon removed the gates to the ghetto in 1797, Venetian Jews were required to live in a small portion of the city.  They could exit the ghetto during the day, but had to return at night. Guards stationed around the canals made sure they stayed in the ghetto at night.   

We arrived in the Jewish ghetto just as it started to rain, via Calle Gheto Novissimo, a small street that takes you over a smaller bridge into Campo di Ghetto Nuovo.  The campo was a large, irregular shaped square.  On this Monday, an observant Jew and three little boys played ball in the corner. They are likely Jews from the Chabad congregation that has resettled in the area. (I saw in a Wall Street Journal article recently that Judaism is experiencing a small revival in Italy.  However, in Venice, the number of remaining Jews numbered just 450 as of 2016.  And of course, they can now live anywhere they want in the city. )

One of Venice's five synagogues. 

We ducked into the Museo Ebraico, and signed up for a tour.  This is the only way you can see three of the five synagogues located into the ghetto.  The remaining two continue to be used on a regular basis.  A portly elderly gentleman with a strong Venetian accent took us through the three synagogues, all located on second floors.  Each was used by different immigrant groups, including French Jews who spoke a creole dialect of French and Hebrew. The men in our group were asked to don kippot as we entered each synagogue, as a sign of respect.  The predominant color scheme was gold and red, the colors of the city.  Each temple had five windows, representing the five books of the Torah.  But otherwise, each had it's own personality.

Steven stands near Venice's tallest building, back right, 12 stories high. 

And while you would think that Venetian Jews were oppressed, our guide told us Venice was much more tolerant than other cities and drew in more Jews.  Jews were limited to earning their living by banking and doctoring.  And right next to a modern pet food store is the remnants of the Red Bank. There was also the Green Bank and the Black Bank.  Today, all the banks are closed, though Judaica stores and two kosher restaurants remain.  The ghetto also contains the tallest building in Venice, topping out at 12 stories.  When you can't build out, you have to build up. 

After our tour guide locked the door of the last synagogue, he wished us all a L'Shana Tovah, a good new year.  The Jewish New Year officially begins this week.