History of the Jews in Sicily
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The history of the Jews in Sicily potentially begins as far back as two millennia, with a substantial Jewish presence on the southern Italian island before their expulsion in the fifteenth century.
Ancient history
There is a legend that Jews were first brought to Sicily as captive slaves in the 1st century after the
Middle Ages
The Jews lived in many Sicilian cities such as
In 1072
Systematic persecution of the Jews in Sicily started in the 14th century. In 1310 the King of Sicily
In comparison with other Jewish communities of Europe, the Sicilians were happily situated. They even owned a considerable amount of property, since thirteen of their communities were able, in 1413, to lend the infante Don Juan 437 ounces of gold. This was repaid on 24 December 1415. In the same year, however, the Jewish community of Vizzini was expelled by Queen Blanca, and it was never permitted to return.
Expulsion in 1493
The culmination of persecution came with the expulsion of Jews from Sicily. The decree of banishment dated 31 March 1492 was decreed by Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile - applying to Sicily
The exiles found protection under
The Spanish Inquisition had not been able to pursue Jews, but after the expulsion, all remaining Jews were required to convert. The inquisition could then prosecute any Jewish convert (neophytes or, the derogative, Marranos) not felt to believe or practice the Catholic faith. The penalties inflicted by the inquisition varied in severity, but could include imprisonment, imprisonment as galley-slaves, confiscation of property, and in some cases, execution by public burning. Records indicate that during the period of 1511-1515 in Sicily, 81 former Jews were burnt at the stake, and 40 others, in statua ( statue, or in effigy, because they had already died or been killed).[11]
Language and culture
In the
During the 11th century the Jewish community was Arabic speaking though with romance influences. by the 13th century there was more Romance usage and by the late 15th century Arabic was completely gone from the Sicilian jewish community.[18]
Modern times
On 3 February 1740, the Neapolitan King
Rabbi Stefano Di Mauro, an Italian American descendant of southern Italian neofiti, has been active on the island and opened a small synagogue in 2008, but he has not yet set up a full-time Jewish congregation in Sicily.[20] Services are held weekly on Shabbat and on the High Holy Days. The street Via della Giudecca is located where the Jewish Quarter was once established.[21] In addition, Shavei Israel has expressed in interest in helping to facilitate the Sicilian Bnei Anusim back to Judaism.[22]
References
- ^ a b The Jews of Sicily: A unique culture., By Sergio Caldarella, PJV#33 March 2008, The Philadelphia Jewish Voice, www.pjvoice.com
- ^ a b c Palermo, By: Richard Gottheil, Ismar Elbogen, jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ L'espulsione degli ebrei da Messina, MariaRosaria Previti Natoli
- ^ Catania, Italy, Encyclopedia Judaica www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
- ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8377-3125-4.
- ^ Sicilian Peoples: The Jews of Sicily by Vincenzo Salerno
- ^ a b c Page 24, Guglielmo Raimondo Moncada alias Flavio Mitridate: un ebreo converso siciliano, Officina di Studi Medievali, 2008
- ISSN 0021-6704.
- ^ ITALIA JUDAICA. Gli ebrei in Sicilia sino all'espulsione del 1492
- ^ Italia Judaica: Gli ebrei in Sicilia sino all'espulsione del 1492, article titled Gli ebrei prima e dopo il 1492 by Francisco Renda, pages 45-50.
- ^ Leonard Victor Rutgers, The Hidden Heritage of Diaspora Judaism. 1998
- ^ Ember et al., Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World, p. 192-ff. 2004
- ^ Joshua Holo, Byzantine Jewry in the Mediterranean Economy. 2009
- ^ Bernard Spolsky, The Languages of the Jews: A Sociolinguistic History. 2014
- ^ Joshua Holo, Byzantine Jewry in the Mediterranean Economy, p. 91-ff. 2009
- ^ R. Langer, Cursing the Christians?: A History of the Birkat HaMinim, p. 203. 2012
- ^ Minervini, Laura (2021). "Judeo-Romance in Italy and France (Judeo-Italian, Judeo-French, Judeo-Occitan)". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics: 2.
- ^ (in Italian) Quei lumi accesi nel Mezzogiorno
- ^ Still Jewish after all these years, By Ariela Bankier, Apr 01, 2010, Israel News, Haaretz.com
- ^ "Jewish History of Sicily". Beit Hatfutsot Open Databases Project, The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.
- ^ Jewish life in Sicily reborn, By Michael Freund, The Jerusalem Post, September 15, 2011
External list
- Legal Status of Jewish Converts to Christianity in Southern Italy and Provence, 2010, Author(s): Zeldes, Nadia, California Digital Library
- The Jews of Palermo, By Jacqueline Alio - Best of Sicily Magazine
- Rossella Tercatin, "Little-known Jewish history of Sicily on display, centuries after expulsion", The Jerusalem Post, Feb. 23, 2020
See also
- History of the Jews in Italy
- History of the Jews in Apulia
- History of the Jews in Calabria
- History of the Jews in Southern Central Italy
- History of the Jews in Livorno
- History of the Jews in Naples
- History of the Jews in the Roman Empire
- History of the Jews in Trieste
- History of the Jews in Turin
- History of the Jews in Venice
- Haplogroup G2c (Y-DNA)