During the last 25 years, locals and scholars have begun to uncover what was lost (expelled, really) more than 500 years ago. One of the most extraordinary discoveries was a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bathhouse, excavated one bucket of mud at a time by Amalia Daniele di Bagni and the association Siracusa III Millennio. Pictured…
Tag: jewish sicily
Shining Light On Palermo’s Multiculturalism
Today for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember that for generations before the Spanish Inquisition (roughly 1478-1834), Sicily was home to thousands of Jews who lived side by side with their fellow citizens who represented a multicultural salad in the middle of the Mediterranean Basin. Palermo honors the history of its diverse citizenship with street…
Sicily’s Jewish Past
By nature of its position in the middle of the Mediterranean, Sicily has always been a multicultural land. Before the Spanish Inquisition (Yes, the Spanish ruled Sicily during this dark period (roughly 1478-1834).), Jews, according to scholar and author Jacqueline Alio, made up almost 7 percent of Sicily’s population. Palermo was home to a large…