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ESSAYS EIGHTY YEARS IN PRINT
Anna Foa, The indices of the Rassegna Mensile di Israel This meeting is to present the comprehensive indices of the Rassegna Mensile di Israel. The indices cover a time span of 80 years, from 1925 to 2004 and allow for a reconstruction of the life of the publication as well as of the entire history of Italian Judaism in this period.
I would like to mention in particular the demanding nature of the work accomplished by the authors in putting together the index of the subjects, for which, as they write, "it was necessary to find new definitions of the subjects in order to reflect the diverse research paths undertaken by scholars in various historical and scientific fields."
It was in 1925 that Dante Lattes and Alfonso Pacifici - who had brought to life the weekly Israel ten years earlier - founded La Rassegna Mensile di Israel. Originally published only sporadically, it became a proper monthly starting in1930. At that point, only Dante Lattes remained as editor. Lattes and Pacifici are two key figures of Italian Judaism. Both were originally Tuscan, one a student of Elia Benamozegh in Livorno, the other a disciple of Samuel Margulies in Florence. In addition, both were Zionists of that special religious Zionism that characterized the Italian experience. Read
ESSAYS THE ITALIAN JEWISH ARCHIVES
Micaela Procaccia, Introduction written for J-Italy
Despite the losses suffered over the course of two thousand years, the archival wealth of the Italian Jewish communities - for its antiquity, continuity and richness of text, is among the most well-preserved. Alongside that which has been preserved by Jewish institutions, the Italian State Archives contain rich and valuable documentation produced in large part by Jewish groups interacting with regional authorities. These holdings often cover chronological gaps in the community records, allowing for a more complete history of thousands of years of coexistence. While not exhaustive, the State Archives expand the margins of research considerably.[...] The possibilities for research within the holdings of these archives are infinite. The close knit ties between the history of the Jews in Italy and Italian history generally make these documents useful to researchers of diverse interests and disciplines ranging from the history of banking and migration, to that of the Church and the constitution. Read |
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PROGRAMS GIORNO DELLA MEMORIA
Centro Primo Levi, Consulate General of Italy, Italian Cultural Institute, Casa Italiana Zerilli Marim�, Italian Academy at Columbia University.
Beginning on January 27th a series of programs will explore lesser known aspects of the Nazi-Fascist persecution. In conjunction with the exhibit The Italian Genius, organized by the Italian Cultural Institute, programs held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Italian Academy at Columbia University will address the participation of the scientific world in the definition of skewed notions of "fitness" and "normality" that led to tragic political and human consequences.
On January 30th, Casa Italiana Zerilli Marim� will screen the world premiere of a film dedicated to the story of the DP camp of Cinecitt� in Rome. On January 23rd a presentation of the Italian online history journal Quest will feature the Italian years of Saul Steinberg and his escape from Fascist persecution. See calendar
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NEWS
IF THIS IS A PLANET
The Italian Jewish author and scientist lived through the worst that mankind has wrought. Now his name lives on beyond his work, and beyond the earth, in a 17-km-wide celestial body -- discovered in 1989 -- that has now officially been named planet Primolevi.
Piero Bianucci (La Stampa)
Ever since it was discovered in 1989 between Mars and Jupiter, the minor planet 4,545 existed without a proper name. It has one now, and it is indeed worth a closer look. The celestial body has been officially named Primolevi - one word, according to astronomy registry rules -- after the renowned Italian author and chemist, who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. Read
STORIES
A TRANQUIL STAR
Primo Levi (translation by Ann Goldstein, W.W. Norton)
Once upon a time, somewhere in the universe very far from here, lived a peaceful star, which moved peacefully in the immensity of the sky, surrounded by a crowd of peaceful planets about which we have not a thing to report. This star was very big and very hot, and its weight was enormous: and here a reporter's difficulties begin.
We have written "very far," "big," "hot," "enormous": Australia is very far, an elephant is big and a house is bigger, this morning I had a hot bath, Everest is enormous. It's clear that something in our lexicon isn't working. Read
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