The Menorah’s current whereabouts has captivated the imagination of many throughout the centuries, and remain a subject of speculation that many seek to unravel. From the Depths of the Tiber to the Vaults of the Vatican The Menorah may well be located in the Vatican. As Archaeologist Paolo Carafa from Rome’s Sapienza University points out, […]
Category Archives: Jewish Roman History
01
Sep
Sep
If I asked you what percentage of the world’s population was Jewish, what would you say? Surely no more than 10%, right? Probably not even around 5%? Maybe it would help if you had some kind of statistic to compare it to. Like that Jews account for around 20% of Nobel Prize laureates, for example. […]
06
Jun
Jun
Spend time exploring Rome’s Jewish Ghetto and you’ll soon stumble upon some inscribed brass inscriptions among the dark Roman cobbles. These are Rome’s Stumbling Stones – pietri d’inciampo in Italian or Stolpersteine in German. And the history they preserve is harrowing. Who created the Stolpersteine? The Stolpersteine were devised and created by Berlin artist Gunter Demnig […]
05
Jun
Jun
Italians are well-versed in the wartime story of the Gold of Rome. The events that befell Rome’s Jewish community during the Nazi occupation of Rome were immortalised in Carlo Lizzani’s eponymous feature-length film. Few outside Italy are familiar with the story of the Gold of Rome, and the impossible ultimatum the Nazis gave the Rome’s […]
06
Feb
Feb
Rome’s Jewish community still harbours considerable respect for Pope John Paul II. No pontiff before him had done more to bridge the divide between the Catholic Church and the Jews, which had split Rome’s population for centuries. Nor had any Pope before him extended the Church’s olive branch of friendship by stepping into Rome’s Great […]
24
Jan
Jan
Rabi Yehudah ha-Nasi (Judah ‘the Prince’) was a fascinating figure. While remembered chiefly for his role in editing and redacting the Mishah, he also helped broker peace between the Jews of occupied Judea and their Roman overlords in the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba Revolt. According to the Talmud, Yehudah was highly respected among the […]
13
Nov
Nov
Like his uncle Caligula, the emperor Nero has earned an unsavoury reputation in the annals of history, yet an interesting and overlooked aspect of his reign is the relationship between Nero and the Jews. Today’s post looks at this relationship in detail, considering where his favourable treatment of the Jews might have come from and […]
25
Oct
Oct
Cover image “The Second Holy Temple in Jerusalem” by Alex Levin. Web: www.artlevin.com In the previous post, we looked at Caligula’s reception of Philo’s Jewish Embassy in Rome. The meeting, documented by a Jewish grammarian, is invaluable as it provides one of the few non-Roman perspectives on the emperor Caligula, elsewhere portrayed as mad, bad, […]
08
Oct
Oct
Of all Rome’s emperors, Caligula stands among the most infamous. His reputation for being mad, bad, and dangerous-to-know has endured for nearly 2,000 since his brutal assassination, orchestrated by his disaffected Praetorian Prefect who had had enough of the emperor’s insults. The charges of cruelty and debauchery laid at Caligula’s feet are many. apparently held […]
02
Oct
Oct
Walk along the eastern side of the River Tiber, where Fabricius Bridge connects Tiber Island to the historic centre, and you’ll stumble upon a true treasure of Hidden Rome: the Ghettarello. Nestled between the Church of Saint Nicola in Chains and an eyesore of a modern bus stop on the road running along the Tiber […]
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