In the early stages of the persecutions in mandments as written. He attracted a fol- 1290, four synagogues were confiscated lowing and then claimed to have had a DIASPORA and converted into churches. Two of vision of the menorah as described in the these, Scolagrande and Scolanova, still book of Zechariah. The group of 40 or 50 stand. For close to 700 years these two eventually converted to after majestic buildings reflected the difficulty World War II, and the majority moved to of Jewish life in a Catholic continent. The Israel and settled in Birya, near Safed. The space for the mezuza still remains in the descendents of some of those who doorframe. The indentation in the wall remained behind, a new group of 30 to for the Torah scroll is still there, and rem- 40, have now started observing the com- nants of a mikva can be found in the base- mandments and have joined with the ment. emerging synagogue. All of was freed from the shackles Some of the Neofitis have started join- Jewish again of the Church in 1861, but no Jews prac- ing as well.One member, Avraham Zec- ticed in the open in for well chillo, remembers his grandmother leav- over 300 years, and no community was ing church before the Eucharist, and kiss- reconstituted in Trani or its neighboring ing the spot where the mezuzah should towns. have been. He also remembers a form of in Trani pidyon haben (redemption of the first- UNBEKNOWNST TO the outsider, how- born son) that was done with a priest. He After 500 years a synagogue is ever, Neofiti Jews continued to practice told us that on the 30th day after a first- their unique hidden brand of religion in born male was born, they would go to the returned and a community restarted the region. church and sit on the side opposite where This mini-miracle of resurrection began the door with the mezuza was and receive with Professor Francesco Lotoro, a pianist a special secret blessing from the marrano and conductor, who had been researching priest. He has since formally converted to the music of concentration camps for Judaism and is an active member of the over 15 years. Two years ago, he and his fledgling community. All four of his chil- wife officially converted to Judaism dren reside in Israel. through the Rome rabbinical court. Today (The unusual marrano priest, it turns they live a fully observant Jewish life in out, is not so unusual. We went to Portu- Trani and we were privileged to meet gal on this same “halachic adventure,” them. following in the footsteps of the Por- After converting, the Lotoros tuguese Inquisition to try and map their approached the Trani municipality to customs surrounding the baking of request use of the Scolanova synagogue, matzah. There we met a 65-year-old priest which was no longer being used as a who came to us in the synagogue, and church and had been standing empty for told us how close he felt to Judaism. What the past 50 years. When their request was he left unsaid to us but had previously granted in November 2005 they immedi- told the local , was that he was one ately assembled the scattered group of of 10 children in what he thinks must Jews from the general geographic area to have been a marrano family and he was pray there and organized a community sent to learn for the priesthood. The mar- and synagogue. rano families felt that a child as a priest As they entered the ancient building for served as an excellent “cover” for their the first time, they were dumbfounded to Jewishness. After all, what sort of Jewish see that a medieval oil painting of Mary family would send their son to study for The picturesque Trani synagogue served as a Catholic church until the largely had been hung in the niche where the ark the priesthood?) Neofiti community rediscovered Judaism. (Courtesy photo) had originally been. The Catholic church The fledgling Trani community has refused to remove it, even if it would be received assistance from both the Italian • By ARI Z. ZIVOTOFSKY things. First, to observe history in the preserved and displayed in a museum. Rabbinic Council and the Union of Ital- and ARI GREENSPAN making as an old community was Moreover, as a protected historical site, it ian Jewish Communities (UCEI). The renewed, and second to connect to histo- was prohibited for the nascent Jewish community has even succeeded in pub- he holiday of Tu Bishvat is usually ry by praying in the same town as two of community to touch the painting. lishing a Jewish calendar for 5766, based celebrated with a repast of fruits of the greatest medieval of Italy. The The Jews turned to Rabbi Bahbout, who on Trani’s latitude and longitude. They Tthe Holy Land, indicating the two scholars, the Mabit (Moshe of Trani), in turn posed the question to former are in the process of establishing an advent of the spring season and the a renowned scholar, and Rabbi Isaiah di Israeli Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, extensive educational network that will renewal of nature. This past Tu Bishvat Trani, a prolific and prominent commen- who ruled that they could cover the pic- include a yeshiva, Jewish school for chil- brought us to an ancient building of gray tator and halachic authority who was ture with a more appropriate picture. The dren, archive, library, center for the stone that until this year was officially a born in Trani in 1180. solution was a poster of a menorah, study of Jewish music, and a bed and Catholic Church. There we ate grapes, Trani is a seaport on the southwestern which now covers the painting and deco- breakfast. oranges, and bananas with a group of 25 coast of Italy that in the 12th century had rates the niche. With the exception of the second story people in a reconsecrated synagogue a flourishing Jewish community. For most Bahbout was born in Tripoli in 1944 of the synagogue, which the community building that had been built almost 800 of the 12th and first half of the 13th cen- and was ordained by the Italian Rabbinic received from the municipality, all other years ago (ca. 1240), and had not seen a turies the Jews enjoyed a measure of self- College in 1965. He is the founder and infrastructure is lacking. The rabbi comes Tu Bishvat celebration in over 500 years. rule and governmental protection leading dean of Beit Midrash Tifereth Yerushalay- from Rome every two weeks to teach Just a month earlier, the rabbi of the to a thriving Jewish quarter. By the end of im – the Italian Academy for Hebrew classes and instruct bar and bat mitzva age synagogue, Rabbi Shalom Bahbout, had the 13th century the situation deteriorat- Studies in Jerusalem, which was opened children. Special events now attract done what would have been unthink- ed, leading to confiscations, forced bap- in 2003, and in addition to the Trani syn- approximately 40 people on a regular able for centuries; he publicly lit a tisms, and blood libels. Many Jews fled agogue, is the rabbi of the Panzieri Fatuc- basis. These people see much room for Chanukah menorah. This all happened over the years, although for several cen- ci Synagogue in Rome. Bahbout has also growth since there are 1000 individuals in in the resurrected Italian Jewish commu- turies there was a strong Neofiti (the served as the director-coordinator of the southern Italy who give their “religious nity of Trani, which now prays in what is name by which Italian “marranos” were Beit Din of Rome and lectures in physics tax” to the Italian Jewish community. possibly the oldest functioning syna- known) community alongside the ves- in the Faculty of Medicine in Rome La They are looking to acquire the building gogue in Europe. tiges of the Jewish community. Sapienza University. next door, which once contained the We were in Italy on a “halachic adven- In 1510 the Jews were expelled from all The existence of the synagogue in Trani women’s gallery, and the mikve (whose ture” researching the etrog industry and of Puglia, Italy’s southern “boot heel” that has reawakened Judaism in the region. In stairs and pool are still evident) in the its history on the southeastern coast of includes Trani, and the Jews left Trani for the first half of the 20th century in Sanni- basement. There is hope that the anti- Italy. When over Shabbat we learned the long haul in 1541 because of a decree candro Garganico, a town north of Trani, Semitism of the past is gone – the Arch- about the developments taking place in that obligated them to choose between a relatively uneducated non-Jewish World bishop of Trani came to the Scolanova Trani we made the four-hour cross-coun- baptism or exile. Most of the Jews chose War I disabled veteran received a Bible Synagogue to greet Rabbi Shalom Bah- try trek to witness it firsthand. exile, fleeing to places such as Salonika from a Protestant chaplain. That gift start- bout – and that a revitalized Trani com- This was a chance to do two unusual and Corfu. ed him on a trek to observing the com- munity can flourish.

46 AUGUST 25, 2006