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The first modern rabbinical seminary was founded in 1829 in Padua on the initiative of the Austrian government, under the trusteeship of the Jewish communities of the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom. From the beginning, the Collegio Rabbinico had the status of a university; it educated rabbis who went on to work in many different European communities up until 1871. The Collegio Rabbinico significantly influenced the Wissenschaft des Judentums​, especially through personages like its co-founder Isaac Samuel Reggio and its lecturer Samuel David Luzzatto.1. Foundation historyA co…

The aristocratic Gonzaga family reigned in the Northern Italian duchy of Mantua between 1328 and 1708. Because of their pragmatic and moderate policies in regards to the Jews, a flourishing Jewish life developed in the seat of power of the Gonzagas. From the Renaissance to the end of the 17th century, the economy, the sciences, and the arts flourished there. With the integration of Mantua into the Habsburg Empire in 1708, the city state entered upon a decline, both economically and culturally, which, however, did not bring Jewish erudition to a complete halt.1. Settlement history, law…

Im oberitalienischen Herzogtum Mantua regierte zwischen 1328 und 1708 die Adelsfamilie Gonzaga. Aufgrund ihrer pragmatischen und moderaten Politik gegenüber den Juden entfaltete sich in der Residenzstadt der Gonzaga ein blühendes jüdisches Leben. Von der Renaissance bis zum Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts florierten dort Wirtschaft, Wissenschaften und Künste. Mit der Eingliederung Mantuas ins Habsburgerreich 1708 setzte der ökonomische und kulturelle Verfall des Stadtstaats ein, der die jüdische Gelehrsamkeit aber nicht völlig zum Erliegen brachte. 1. Siedlungsgeschichte,…

[German Version] Edgardo Mortara was born in Bologna on Aug 27, 1851, the son of Salomone (“Momolo”) Mortara, a Jewish merchant, and Marianna Padovani. At the end of August, 1852, during a severe illness, he was secretly baptized by a Catholic servant girl, Anna Morisi. When she later told her secret to a neighbor, Regina Bussolari, the case became public knowledge and was referred to the Holy Office. Pius IX ordered the child brought to Rome and placed in a church institution to guarantee a Christian upbringing. Dur-¶ ing the night of Jun 25, 1858, the papal police brought Edgardo…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Christianity – III. Judaism I. Religious Studies 1. General Clothing fulfills the need for ornamentation and presentation, protection against the weather, and, in certain cases, magic. Appearance and materials follow climatic conditions, economic and technical capabilities (sewing, weaving, etc.), social or fashion conventions, and can be specified according to function (professional attire) or situation (festal attire). Clothing increases the complexity of the optical appearance of its ¶ wearer. It visualizes and makes m…

[German Version] I. History In ancient times, the ager vaticanus extended on the right side of the Tiber, below the Vatican Hill from which it acquired it name. Crossed by the Via Cornelia, it was connected with Rome by a bridge that was probably built under Nero. From the emperors Caligula and Nero onward, a circus was built for races, with an Egyptian obelisk as its meta (since the 16th cent. the center of St. Peter’s Square). Soon afterwards, a naumachia was erected further upstream on the Tiber.The Via Cornelia was lined by tombs, especially from the 2nd century onward.…