Excerpt from “Arte e vita ebraica a Venezia, 1516 – 1797” by M. G. Sandri and Paolo Alazraki, 1971

The conditions of life in the Venice Ghetto, at least in the first decades, were the best that the Jews would have had in centuries. The fact that it was in Italy, the place that was least hostile in all of Europe, contributed to create a place for much activity, commercial and cultural, to develop freely, under the direct protective oversight of the authorities of the Republic. The particular relationship between the Republic and the Church, the mentality of the population, and the fact that, for the commerce of the Republic, the fiscal and trade activities of the Jews were indispensable, all combined to the effect that in Venice Jews were never subjected to the terrible accusations of ritual murder, or to mass conversions, or to the innumerable other accusations levied against the Jews, for example in Germany and France, which very often led to massacres and the flight of a miraculously escaped community of Jews from place to place.

A typical day began immediately after dawn. The gates of the ghetto were opened, custody of the only Christians admitted within those gates at night (even today the signs of the gates and the guard windows are still visible on the walls). Shortly afterwards, the people charged with waking the population would knock on the doors, encouraging everyone to wake and hurry to synagogue for the morning service. This finished, a final alarm was given with the blast of a horn to rouse the whole ghetto. People would begin to turn out and towards one of the several synagogues, according to their nation of origin. Entering, they would generally find the service already in progress, as some men (either paid by the community or volunteers) had risen early to be present and provide the minimum number of men to begin, so that some of the less important prayers would already have been recited. There were those who would recite the prayers, some who would talk of business, some who would talk of politics. The women were hidden behind grates in their section on the upper floor. The men prayed with their heads covered and a shawl of wool or silk (the tallit) covering their shoulders: a sign that covered their clothing and rendered each of them equal. The men took their places on their benches, and most of them had their own personal spot, sometimes inherited directly from the father. During the reading of the Torah, some of the attendees would help officiate, and sometimes would make offerings to help the poor of the community, or the yeshivot, etc. Often the service would be interrupted by sudden news, good or unhappy, that affected the entire community: the announcement of a new tax, the arrival of a merchant ship from the east, news of a fellow Jew in a faraway country, the impending arrival of an important rabbi, news of other Jewish communities in other countries or elsewhere in Italy, the announcement of new courses being offered, the upcoming marriage of two young people or the death of someone old; also a brit mila, the dedication of a new sefer Torah offered by a generous donor to the community; and particularly news concerning relations among the four Venetian Jewish nations.

At the end, or perhaps at the beginning, or at least three quarters of the way through the service, the chief rabbi, but more often a respected and studious member of the community, would give a discourse or sermon; a custom almost certainly derived from that of the Church. The subject could have the most different characters, according to the politics of the moment in general, or perhaps directly relating to events within the community from the day before; it could address assimilation, or the arrival of new Marranos from Spain, the importance of not having sexual relations with men or women who were not Jewish, or a new sign to be worn distinguishing the members as Jews when outside of the ghetto. The subject could be gambling or games of dice, or the arrival of a very important personage. It was not unusual for rabbis and priests to exchange visits in their respective houses of prayer, and sometimes they would briefly address the community of the other faith directly. Such extreme liberality is truly exceptional, typical of certain regions of Italy, but most of all of Venice, where nobles and burghers would sometimes attend services in the Jewish synagogues.

If the service fell on a particular religious holiday, then the attendees would gather after the end of prayers to converse, share the bread of Shabbat, visit the huts for Shavuot or taste the first fruit harvests. During Shavuot, other than the huts built by the synagogues, many others were built along the streets of the ghetto, which assumed a special and festive aspect. At the end of the service, attendees would put away their prayer shawls, those who brought their own siddur (most would have these) would place them in a protective case, generally bearing the star of David, and would then place them in a personal drawer within the synagogue or would take them home.

Daily life and contact with the outside world would then begin. The gates would already be open: people would begin to move, opening the stores (most would change their clothes first) and shortly Cannaregio would resume its aspect of a neighborhood in motion: Jews and Christians speaking, discussing, completing a wide range of commercial transactions, exchanging merchandise and news. There was also the fashion of taking the Ghetto tour: a whiff of the Jewish world, and the curiosity of the phenomenon of such exotic citizens. Often Venetian personalities and Catholic foreigners would go to the banks, or visit the synagogues with interest, perhaps participating in some services.

There was a real animation in the ghetto, where people from the most disparate origins lived together peacefully. All around, scholars would study under the guidance of teachers and Rabbis, or even bankers, who by tradition were among the most studious and learned in the Talmud and Jewish tradition. Venetian, Italian, German and French students would study for hours and hours, brought together by the common language, Hebrew. In the houses, instead, the women would manage the daily life of the home, weaving, embroidering, and seeing to the early instruction of the children. The girls were generally not submitted to the heavy burden of learning that was obligatory for the boys, and which would go on for many years. However, women were not precluded from the main sources of culture; there are many examples of women who either alone or with the help of teachers reached real notoriety for their studies and knowledge, not only in their community but outside the neighborhood as well.

The sundown arrives and all the activity is suddenly halted; Christians, Albanians and Turks in the ghetto begin their return to their own neighborhoods. At the two exits, the one near Rio San Gerolamo and the other close to Ponte delle Guglie, are gathered only the late arrivals. The Jews are already at home, where they briefly wash, gather their siddurim and head back to the synagogue. The traditional songs and litanies can already be heard from within the walls of the synagogues, acquiring different accents depending on what rite was observed: German, Italian or Spanish. Sad or happy news is added to that given earlier in the day, and in days past; new news, new facts, all are noted by the whole community. When it is time to return to their homes, the dark is now almost complete; dinner is taken together as a family, and the father, according to his father’s traditions, conducts a brief service in the home.

Later, in some homes, by the light of candles, some people will still be found awake and active: they are the members of the many voluntary institutions, occupied in a wide variety of activities; for example, assistance to the poor. Other associations secure the finances of the yeshiva, assist the sick, or care for and see to the proper burial of the dead.