The Jewish Ghetto in Venice

The Jewish Ghetto of Venice: its history

The Jewish Ghetto of Venice is the oldest in the world: it was established on 29 March 1516; for many centuries, it was the place where Venetian Jews lived in segregation, until Napoleon’s edict put an end to this separation.

Curiously, the word ‘ghetto’ derives from ‘getto’, meaning ‘casting’: in this part of the city, before the Jews arrived, there were several cannon foundries, which were moved to the Arsenale in 1390.

Today, only a few Jews live there, but at one time the population numbered as many as 5,000. No one was allowed to leave, except for Jewish doctors tasked with treating the sick.

Venice’s Jewish Ghetto: the Synagogues

If you wish to begin your tour with the oldest synagogue, you should start with the Todesca, which dates back to 1500 and is attended mainly by Ashkenazi Jews.

As I continued my journey of discovery through the places of worship in Venice’s Jewish Quarter, I realised that the simplest of the existing synagogues is the Italiana, with a minimalist structure that allows sunlight to stream in easily. This is the most austere of the Venetian synagogues and was built in 1575.

Finally, if you have some time to spare, the Levantina and the Ponentina are also well worth a visit: the former has undergone various restoration works over the centuries, whilst the latter is considered the most important of the synagogues bearing witness to the Jewish presence in Venice. It was founded in the second half of the 16th century.

The Venice Ghetto is a place teeming with history and local traditions. You can sense this as you stroll through its narrow streets, taking in the aroma of #kosher cuisine wafting from the traditional little restaurants.
It is the oldest in the world, but it has aged very well. If we close our eyes, we can imagine how the #Jews of that era lived; we can picture them entering their synagogues, which were by no means sumptuous but steeped in religious devotion.

Our journey of discovery through the Venetian ghetto continues in this article, which we recommend you read:

‘Nothing earthly may stand above the synagogue’: this is why Venice’s synagogues are often situated on the top floor of buildings, hidden and unrecognisable from the outside. The only signs of their presence are the five aligned windows (which symbolise the books of the Torah) and the Hebrew inscriptions on the walls. It was only thanks to a guided tour, in fact, that I was able to grasp the essence, the distinctive features and the details of one of Venice’s most fascinating places: the Jewish Ghetto. Now I’ll tell you what I discovered.