Solomon Elios

Climbs San Savino, Salomon Fiorentino and me

Some weeks there is, September 6, there was the ninth European day for the Jewish Culture. An Italian friend, knowing of my Jewish roots, since we worked together for some years in the restoration of my hotel of farm "The Mucchia" in Cortona, called me, saying that there is the congregation near "Turned greenen Teatro" in the small city of Amount san Savino, that could be interest to me.

Me together with my woman and my son, put our steps to the small theater in through Salomon Fiorentino. We did not imagine ourselves which portion of history that we will meet in top.

To 10 oae™clock there was the concert I did not do it on time, then the presentation of the Mayor Silvano Materazzi and the introduction by Jack Arbib, and the lecture very interesting by Stefania Roncolato of his research of "Ketuba" Jew to Tuscan, but first to allow me to say you that was Salomon Fiorentino: Been born in Climbs San Savino, the neighborhood of Arezzo, to Tuscan, Italy in 1743 and is dead to Florence in 1815, the writer and the poet, writes the "the suicide of Neera" and the various poems. The first Jewish culture to Tuscan.

Then we went to the Synagogue that is a very special building. It was restored various time and is localized in a now named street after Salomon Fiorentino. It says last influence of the Jewish community to Tuscan. The parties more old of the Synagogue date back to restorations executed in 1729-32.

To Climbs San Savino Jewish were present in two distinct periods:

1421 to 1571, with the banks lending the promise: 1627 to 1799, again with a bank loan on the promise, but also with a community himself.

The Jewish stores of pawn are spread through through central Italy and north, fourteenth century. The practices affect smaller than these used beforehand, Christian ones of the suppliers, and easily more are checked by authorities, that stipulates, to this end with the bank supports, the true renewable every contracts five to ten years.

The period more important of stay of the Jews in Climbs San Savino is the second. In 1627 the Marquis Bertoldo Orsini authorizing the establishment of a bench in the loan city, that they hold Passigli Fitting with steel, Jew of Florence, and certain of its members.

The merchant, as such, will last until the end seventeenth century, but was created as early as the beginning a seed of a small community with his own order, his synagogue and his cemetery.

This formed a ghetto Savinese in a parallel street to the Sangallo of current course. The road was called the Synagogue of Town (because there was just placed the Jewish temple, that always exists, although a lot damaged) and, in our time, that of Salomon Fiorentino, on the recommendation of the administration of city that wanted to recall and honor if which is considered the first poet to appear of Jewish origin in the history of Italian literature (it had been born in

The number of Jews presents in the city varies a lot, but finally growing progressively of 50 in the mi-ten-seventh century to more than 130 years of 1798-99 (between 3 and 4% of the global population). Their life always is not easy. Especially between the mi-ten-seventh to the eighteenth mi century (the age of the Against Reforms) are done the subject to a selection of oppressive measures that are strong reduces when the Grandiose lobbies of holds court Ducal the Pietro Leopoldo enlightened of Lorraine (1765-1790) and disappears with the French Revolution that, everywhere, is the Jewish citizens as all the others.

To attains just the emancipation of the Jews drew the reaction of peasants belonging to the Sanfedists of movement of "Viva Got married", that begins Arezzo and spreads itself through Tuscan. In summer of 1799 Jewish Savinesi are attacked by the population and drives on the move, where they will not return. Certain of will be them victims of a true pogrom, that arrived in Siena, where they had looked for the refuge, June 28 1799.

In 1994-95, the town council of Amount San Savino, using the Jewish communities of Florence and Rome, organized an exposition documentary of the Jewish presence in the country and honorary citizenship attributed to teacher. Elio Toaff, the big rabbi of Rome, of which the family is at first Amount San Savino.

With the occasion also was published, furnished by the Municipality, the "Savinese of Notebook III, The Jews in Climbs San Savino" (illustrated), that rebuilds the history and the culture of this small community but significant Jew to Tuscan.

Come back to our meeting in the synagogue, there was an exposition of old one "Ketubas" (the agreement of traditional marriage Jew) and it was held by the initiative of Jack Arbib and of John Mimun, the organizers and restart them memory to the San Savino community Jewish.

To the last noon, all the walked guests of a kilometer of the synagogue to the Jewish cemetery in Climbs San Savino, the this were hard to arrive there, since it is just hidden in the back of the Christian cemetery but deep in the wood between the olive trees, and the road that goes while descending.

We saw that some writings hedbraa¯ques very clear on the of the grave rocks that they appeared very old and broken, authorities invested money in the restoration of the cemetery and the day of finished memory while saying one please "kadish" and the lighting candles.

Uri Nachimson