Tikvah
Subscribe
MosaicImage of Mosaic
Editor's Pick

January 12, 2024

How a Sicilian “Ghost Castle” Became the Synagogue of a Revived Community

Jews return to Catania.

In 1458, the kingdom of Sicily (which included both the island itself and a portion of southern Italy) became part of the kingdom of Aragon, which then merged with Castile to create Spain in its present form. This newly united country forcibly expelled its Jewish population in 1492, an edict that was applied to its Italian territories as well. Now, the area is seeing a Jewish revival, in part a result of the reconversion of locals who believe themselves descended from converted Jews. Joshua Marks reports on the small but growing community of Catania, Sicily’s second city:

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Get the best Jewish ideas and conversations. Subscribe to Tikvah Ideas All Access for $12/month

Login or Subscribe
Save

January 12, 2024

  1. What Did Qatar Know about the Hamas Attacks, and When Did It Know It?

    The emirate’s dangerous double game.

  2. What Israel Can Accomplish in Gaza

    A winnable war and an unwinnable peace.

  3. Hizballah’s Limited Warfare and Iran’s Race to Build Nuclear Weapons

    Is the fighting in the north a protracted sideshow?

  4. A Rare, and Hidden, Talmudic Response to Christian Teachings

    Not all Pharisees are hypocrites.

  5. How a Sicilian “Ghost Castle” Became the Synagogue of a Revived Community

    Jews return to Catania.