Jews in Twentieth-century Italy

Jews in Twentieth Century Italy, edited by Vittorio Bo and Mario Toscano, is the catalogue of the exhibition held at the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah-MEIS of Ferrara from 29 March to 6 October 2024.

One hundred years of Italian history told through the experiences of the Jewish minority that has lived on the peninsula for over two thousand years.

The essays reconstruct a century rich in splendour, but also marked by tragedy and misery, along with the evolution of the concept of citizenship. From the successful integration of the liberal age to the consequences of the deprivation of liberty during the fascist dictatorship and the horrors of the Shoah.

After the war, there was a new challenge: to start living again. The doubts and wounds were many, but with renewed hope, the Jewish communities were able to rebuild themselves and think about the future, keeping their identity strong while maintaining a constant dialogue with society.

In this book, historians, art historians, scientists, communication experts and Hebraists tell the story of a hundred years of illusions and divisions, their extraordinary protagonists and their stories of courage, love and rebirth. A collection of documents, photographs, paintings and family objects that reconstruct the mosaic of the 20^th century and reveal a common heritage that belongs to everyone and that we must all preserve.