Springer Italian Jewish Networks from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century: Bridging Europe and the Mediterranean

The volume investigates the interconnections between the Italian Jewish worlds and wider European and Mediterranean circles, situating the Italian Jewish experience within a transregional and transnational context mindful of the complex set of networks, relations, and loyalties that characterized Jewish diasporic life. Preceded by a methodological introduction by the editors, the chapters address rabbinic connections and ties of communal solidarity in the early modern period, and examine the circulation of Hebrew books and the overlap of national and transnational identities after emancipation. For the twentieth century, this volume additionally explores the Italian side of the Wissenschaft des Judentums; the role of international Jewish agencies in the years of Fascist racial persecution; the interactions between Italian Jewry, JDPs and Zionist envoys after Word War II; and the impact of Zionism in transforming modern Jewish identities. Review “This highly stimulating collection of essays, … unravels different Italian Jewish networks that emerged and evolved over long stretches of time from the 17th until the 20th centuries, within the larger Mediterranean and European framework. … Italian Jewish Networks offers new perspectives and materials, innovative research, and novel analyses that allow for further reassessment of complex and―geographically and chronologically―widely cast histories.” (Evelien Chayes, Reading Religion, readingreligion.org, April 24, 2019) Review “This book astutely and expertly offers a new and model approach to Jewish history … By cogently assessing local context as well as transnational similarities and differences, it provides a fuller and more persuasive understanding of Italian Jewry’s past.” (David Sorkin, Yale University, USA) “An innovative exploration of the webs of relation and networks of Italian Jews extending through Europe and the Mediterranean over several centuries.” (Lois Dubin, Smith College, USA)   From the Back Cover The volume investigates the interconnections between the Italian Jewish worlds and wider European and Mediterranean circles, situating the Italian Jewish experience within a transregional and transnational context that is mindful of the complex set of networks, relations, and loyalties that characterized Jewish diasporic life from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. Preceded by a methodological introduction by the editors, the chapters present specific case studies that address rabbinic connections and ties of communal solidarity in the early modern period, and examine the circulation of Hebrew books and the complex overlap of national and transnational identities after emancipation. For the twentieth century, this volume additionally explores the Italian side of the Wissenschaft des Judentums; the role of international Jewish agencies in the years of Fascist racial persecution; the interactions between Italian Jewry, JDPs and Zionist envoys in the aftermath of Word War II; and the impact of Zionism in transforming modern Jewish identities. About the Author Francesca Bregoli is Associate Professor of History and Joseph and Oro Halegua Chair in Greek and Sephardic Jewish Studies at Queens College and The Graduate Center, CUNY, USA. She is the author of Mediterranean Enlightenment: Livornese Jews, Tuscan Culture, and Eighteenth-Century Reform (2014). Carlotta Ferrara degli Uberti is Lecturer in Italian History at University College London, UK. Previous publications include Making Italian Jews: Family, Gender, Religion and the Nation, 1861-1918 (Palgrave, 2017).   Guri Schwarz is Associate Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Genova, Italy. He is Editor in Chief of Quest: Issues in Contemporary Jewish History. Previous publications include After Mussolini: Jewish Life and Jewish Memories in Post-Fascist Italy (2012).