From Renaissance Florence and Sicily to the Distinctive Sounds, Culture, History
and Traditions of Jewish Italian Life
SOUNDS OF A FRAGMENTED MEMORY: THE MUSIC REPERTOIRE OF ITALIAN JEWS (REMOTE COURSE)
Piergabriele Mancuso, PhD, Director of the Eugene Grant-Jewish History Program at the Medici Archive Project, Florence, Italy
Wednesdays, January 20 to February 10
10:30 a.m.–noon ET
Explore the rich and evolving tradition of Italian Jewish music, from the ancient melodies of Torah cantillation to the influence of organ music, Italian opera, and the Jewish Reform movement. This course traces the historical, cultural, and religious forces that shaped one of the most distinctive musical traditions in the Jewish world. Discover how centuries of interaction with Italian society produced a remarkably diverse repertoire that blends sacred liturgy with local artistic influences. Gain insight into the unique musical evolution of Italian Jewish worship and the enduring legacy of a tradition that bridges Jewish heritage and Italian culture.
Price: $98 | Members receive 15% discount
THE CREATIVE JEWS OF SICILY (REMOTE COURSE)
Katherine Aron-Beller, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Jewish History at the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University
Mondays, February 15–22
10:30 a.m.–noon ET
Explore Sicilian Jewry and the little-known cultural heritage of communities that have long ceased to exist and whose memory has almost faded. We will study the history of Jews in Sicily from Roman times until their final expulsion or conversion in 1493. Emphasis will be placed on the distinctive culture that developed on the island following the Muslim conquest, drawing on sources preserved in the Cairo Geniza. Jewish life under Norman, Hohenstaufen, and Catalan-Aragonese rule will also be examined. Finally, the expulsion and conversion of the Jews will be addressed, along with the crypto-Judaism they practiced.
Price: $50 | Members receive 15% discount
This course is sponsored by the Annual Enid and Irving Kushner Lecture Fund.
ITALIAN-RENAISSANCE MINDS: INTELLECTUAL ACADEMIES AND MACHIAVELLI’S SOCIAL NETWORKS IN 1400–1700 (REMOTE COURSE)
Simone Testa, PhD, Instructor, International Studies Institute, Florence, Italy
Mondays, March 1–8
10:30 a.m.–noon ET
Social networks were central to the intellectual and cultural life of Renaissance Italy. Scholars, artists, writers, and political thinkers gathered in academies, creating vibrant communities of conversation, debate, and exchange. By 1600, these networks had spread throughout Italy and beyond. Explore the fascinating world of Renaissance academies and the intellectual circles that shaped the era, alongside the life and ideas of Niccolò Machiavelli, a diplomat, statesman, historian, and political thinker. Best known for The Prince and Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli offered provocative insights into power, leadership, and government while invoking biblical figures as examples of political authority, republican leadership, and state-building. Materials will be provided before the class.
Price: $50 | Members receive 15% discount
ART AND IDENTITY: JONA OSTIGLIO, THE FIRST JEWISH PAINTER OF RENAISSANCE ITALY (REMOTE COURSE)
Piergabriele Mancuso, PhD, Director of the Eugene Grant Jewish History Program at the Medici Archive Project, Florence, Italy
Wednesdays, March 24–31
10:30 a.m.–noon ET
Discover the remarkable story of Jona Ostiglio (c. 1638–1700), the first known Jewish painter in
Italian—and European—art history. Born in the Florence Ghetto, Ostiglio began painting in midlife and was admitted to the Accademia del Disegno before receiving commissions from the Medici family and Florence’s elite. His extraordinary career was matched by a dramatic personal life, including a romance with a Christian widow and her mysterious rescue from a monastery. This course also explores Jewish artistic patronage, art collecting within the Florentine Ghetto, and Ostiglio’s little-known workshop, where he trained the Jewish painter David Isaia Tedesco.
Price: $50 | Members receive 15% discount
KIDNAPPED FOR FAITH: THE MORTARA CASE AND FORCED BAPTISM ACROSS TIME:
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, FAMILY AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS (REMOTE COURSE)
Elèna Mortara, Professor of Anglo-American literature, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
Fridays, April 30 to May 7
10:30 a.m.–noon ET
In 1858, the kidnapping of six-year-old Jewish boy Edgardo Mortara by Papal authorities and his secret baptism sparked an international debate over religious authority, parental rights, and individual freedom. This thought-provoking program, Professor Elèna Mortara—a descendant of Edgardo Mortara and one of the leading scholars of the case—combines historical scholarship with her family’s personal story to explore the case’s lasting legal, ethical, and cultural significance. Participants will also examine its influence on literature and contemporary debates surrounding religious freedom. The series includes a screening of Marco Bellocchio’s 2023 film Kidnapped on May 6 | 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Price: $76 | Members receive 15% discount
This course is sponsored by the Annual Enid and Irving Kushner Lecture Fund.