If you’re in Venice, the city of eternal charm, and you’re looking for an alternative destination to the classic tours that touch upon the main attractions of the lagoon city and the wonderful surrounding islands, the Jewish Ghetto is the right place.
Piazza San Marco and its bell tower, the Doge’s Palace, the La Fenice Theater, the islands of Murano and Burano, and the Grand Canal are undoubtedly the places that cannot be missed during your Venetian stay, but this place rich in history and traditions is definitely a stop to dedicate at least a few hours of your day, visiting the synagogues, the Jewish museum, and stopping for a small break in the typical kosher restaurants.
The birth of the Venetian Ghetto
The Jewish Ghetto of Venice holds a sad record: it is the oldest ghetto in the world. Even the word “ghetto” was born right here: the word “géto” in Venetian means “to melt” and was used in the 1500s to refer to the island now known as the Ghetto Nuovo because this is where most of the Venetian foundries were concentrated. The word then transformed into “Ghetto” since many Jews had German origins and pronounced it with a hard “g”. The stabilization of Jewish families in the lagoon city was progressive, starting from 1509, in exchange for an annual contribution of 6500 ducats. Before that, Jews were only allowed to stay in the city for a period not exceeding fifteen consecutive days, after which they had to return to the mainland. However, this “new presence” in the city, although it brought large amounts of money into the coffers of the Serenissima, began to provoke protests from many inhabitants; thus, in 1515, it was proposed in the Senate to keep all the Jews living in Venice in the area of the Ghetto Nuovo, away from the rest of the population. Thus was born the first ghetto in Europe and the world. There were 700 Jews, mostly German, Italian, and Levantine, who began to populate, paying a hefty rent, the Ghetto Nuovo, under the control of the Venetian magistracy. Everyone was obliged to wear a yellow beret, and furthermore, the Ghetto was surrounded by high walls with gates controlled by guards that opened only at dawn and closed before evening. As the Ghetto Nuovo incorporated more and more Jews, a new residential nucleus called Ghetto Nuovissimo developed from the early 1600s.
Living in the Ghetto
The coexistence between Jews from different nations created various internal frictions that only time managed to smooth out; even the balances with the Venetian administration improved over the years, allowing them to access external markets, expanding their business opportunities. Their role was central to the flourishing of the economy, as Jews could work as “bankers,” lending money with interest or in exchange for pawned items. These were the years of the greatest stability of the Venetian Jews in the Ghetto, destined to collapse with the fall of the Republic of Venice at the hands of Napoleon in 1797. Napoleon’s conquest of Venice brought freedom to the Jews, who became citizens in every respect. After three centuries of segregation and deprivation, the gates were finally torn down. From that moment until the Second World War, the fate of the Venetian Jews was much the same as that of other Italian Jews.
The Ghetto today
Today, this beautiful area of Venice still maintains its original appearance with its alleys, its small squares, the museum, and its five wonderful synagogues, the two main ones – Scola Grande Tedesca and Scola Cantòn – and the three smaller ones – Kohanim, Mesullamim, and Luzzatto. If you are staying in the lagoon city, this part of Venice is definitely worth including in a tour of the major points of interest inVenice, including San Marco, the Rialto Bridge, and the Bridge of Sighs. Visiting the Ghetto today is an opportunity to get closer to the knowledge of the history, customs, and traditions of the Jews in Venice.
