Jewish Art Treasures of Venice

Designed as a guide to the Jewish monuments of Venice, this publication outlines the history of Jewish community in Venice, beginning with their work as doctors on the island of Spinalunga during the 12th and 13th centuries and increasing in size following the establishment of the first ghetto in 1516. As more Jewish immigrants arrived from the Iberian peninsula and the Levant, the ghetto expanded to include the “Ghetto Nuovo” and the “Ghetto Novissimo,” eventually accommodating nine different synagogues. Five of these synagogues from the 16th century survived as of the early 1970’s and are described in this volume along with the layout and contents of the Jewish museum and cemetery at San Nicolo on the Lido.