12 Facts About Italian Jews

Italian Jews can be traced back as far as the 2nd century BCE: tombstones and dedicatory inscriptions survive from this period.

Medieval Italian Jews produced important halachic works such as the Shibbole ha-Leket of Zedekiah ben Abraham Anaw.

Two of the most famous of Italy's Italian Jews were Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno and Moshe Chaim Luzzatto whose written religious and ethical works are still widely studied.

Customs and religious rites of the Italian-rite Jews can be seen as a bridge between the Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions, showing similarities to both; they are closer still to the customs of the Romaniote Jews from Greece.

In matters of religious law, Italian-Rite Jews generally follow the same rules as the Sephardim, in that they accept the authority of Isaac Alfasi and the Shulchan Aruch as opposed to the Ashkenazi customs codified by Moses Isserles.

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In musical tradition and in pronunciation, Italian Jews Ashkenazim differ considerably from the Ashkenazim of other countries, and show some assimilation to the other two communities.

Many Italian Jews today have "Levantine" roots, for example in Corfu, and before the Second World War Italy regarded the existence of the eastern Sephardic communities as a chance to expand Italian influence in the Mediterranean.

The ancestors of Ashkenazi Italian Jews are then thought to have left Italy for Central Europe, with the ancestors of Italkic Italian Jews remaining in Italy.

Italian Jews Jewish food tradition is an identifiable part of their culture that has made an impact to this day on culinary tradition.

Italian Jews maintained means of kosher within the context of their culinary traditions at home.

Some Italian Jews ate pork, while others refrained, but would instead eat rabbit.

Italian Jews rite is set out in one chapter of Goldschmidt, Mehqare Tefillah u-Fiyyut, Jerusalem 1978.