Printed Matter
Centro Primo Levi's online monthly on the work of Primo Levi, Italian Jewish history, culture and current affairs. 
Programs

February 10 
7:00 pm
Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Place


Songs from Shylock's Venice
Lucidarium Ensemble and Enrico Fink

Marking the 500th anniversary of the establishment of the Venetian Ghetto (1516 - 2016).

Renaissance Venice was a crucible of cultures and a magnet for immigration, where - in spite of pervasive prejudice - Spanish and German Jews joined their native Italian co-religionists who traced their presence on the Peninsula back to the Roman Empire.  Whether escaping repression or coming to find work as merchants or as Hebrew and Kabbalah teachers, Jews profoundly influenced the cultural crossover of the city. Songs from Shylock's Venice conjures the sights and sounds of a day in the life of Shakespeare's imaginary character, Shylock, in and out of the Jewish quarter, in the vibrant, colorful world that was Renaissance Venice.

Lucidarium is a noted Renaissance music ensemble based in Italy and Switzerland, known for its distinct sound, its musicological research and the use of original instruments. The concert will feature the singer and cantor Enrico Fink and a seldom performed repertoire in Italian, Hebrew, Yiddish and Spanish. 

In collaboration with the Embassy of Italy and Italian Cultural Institute in Washington D.C. and the Italian Cultural Institute in NY. Lucidarium and Enrico Fink will perform in Washington D.C. at the Italian Embassy on February 11th.

The Venice Ghetto: 500 Years

The Centuries-Old History of Venice's Jewish Ghetto.
A look back on the 500-year history and intellectual life of one of the world's oldest Jewish quarters
 
Simon Worral, Smithsonian Magazine November 2015

Five hundred years ago, officials welcomed foreign Jews to Venice, but confined them to a seven-acre section of the Cannaregio district, a quarter soon known as the Ghetto after the Venetian word for copper foundry, the site's previous tenant.
In March 2016 the Jewish Ghetto in Venice will celebrate its 500th anniversary with exhibitions, lectures, and the first ever production of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto's main square.

Shaul Bassi, a Venetian Jewish scholar and writer, is one of the driving forces behind VeniceGhetto500, a joint project between the Jewish community and the city of Venice. Speaking from the island of Crete, he explains how the world's first "skyscrapers" were built in the Ghetto; how a young Jewish poetess presided over one of the first literary salons; and why he dreams of a multicultural future that would restore the Ghetto to the heart of Venetian life again.

Venice's Jewish Ghetto was one of the first in the world. Tell us about its history and how the geography of the city shaped its architecture. Read

THANKS
Centro Primo Levi is the recipient of the endowment fund established by the Viterbi Family in memory of Achille and Maria Viterbi. CPL's activities are supported by the Cahnman Foundation, Peter S. Kalikow, Claude Ghez, David Berg Foundation, John Elkann, Charles Hallac z'l & Sarah Keil Wolf, Jeffrey Keil & Danielle Pinet.

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