Former Jewish Ghetto of Ferrara
The area of the former Jewish Ghetto of Ferrara extended into the centre of Ferrara, close to the Cathedral of San Giorgio, behind which was one of the ancient gates to the ghetto itself. It was here that Jews were summoned to hear the so-called 'forced sermons', sermons that the Catholic Church imposed on the Jewish community to show the 'true' doctrine to be followed. This place is still remembered today thanks to a plaque placed on the walls of the former Oratory of San Crispino.
In Ferrara, the Ghetto was born in 1627 and was only closed a few years after the unification of Italy, in 1859, which happened rarely in Italy.
There were a large number of synagogues inside, but only three have survived to the present day. The three of them are housed inside the building in Via Mazzini 95. Nothing surprising if we think of the various rituals practised by such a large community as the Jews of Ferrara.
The Jewish community in Ferrara
Jews lived in Ferrara long before the ghetto was opened, living in perfect harmony with the local community. Since the Middle Ages, in fact, it had gone through a phase of constant growth, including economic growth, facilitated in particular by the presence of the Este seigniory in the city.
The
ducal House of Este had always been
tolerant towards the Jewish community in Ferrara, and it was for this reason that Ferrara was a safe haven at the time for Jewish families expelled from other cities.
The problems began when the
Papal State extended its influence to these territories as well. From then on, the ghetto was separated from the rest of the city by gates, which were closed at night and reopened the following morning. An interlude only occurred in 1796, when the French arrived in Ferrara and unhinged the ghetto gates, which remained dismantled until 1826.
Finally, following the Unification of Italy and the abolition of the ghetto, this area of Ferrara was finally equalised with the rest of the city. Jewish communities continued to live within it though, as the pages of
Giorgio Bassani's 'Il giardino dei Finzi Contini' testify.
