Jewish cemetery (Ferrara)

Entrance to the Jewish cemetery. Portal from 1911, built to a design by the architect Ciro Contini.

Burial ground

The Jewish cemetery in Ferrara , a northern Italian city in the Emilia-Romagna region and capital of the province of the same name , is one of the most important testimonies to the centuries-old bond between Jews and Ferrara. It is also known locally as "Orto degli ebrei". The Jewish cemetery in the shadow of the densely tree-covered city wall is in Via delle Vigne, not far from the main Christian cemetery, Cimitero Monumentale della Certosa di Ferrara , with which it is not structurally connected. It is still in use today.

history

Predecessor cemeteries existed in Ferrara from 1452 at the latest. The oldest tombstone that has survived to this day dates back to 1549, but written sources mention 1626 as the year the cemetery was founded. In the middle of the facility there is a spacious and apparently unused green area. Among them are the graves of Jews whose relatives were forbidden from placing tombstones under papal rule from Urban VIII until the beginning of the equality of Italian Jews in the course of the French Revolution . The Orto degli ebrei was devastated by supporters of the Inquisition in 1719. Spolia from the inventory of the vandalized cemetery are still part of other buildings in Ferrara's old town. A Tahara house , built according to the plans of the local architect Ciro Contini, is to the right of the main entrance. The Hebrew inscription on the entrance gate בית מועד לכל חי is a quote from the Book of Job ( Job 30.23 EU ): the cemetery as a gathering place for all living . The cemetery is open to all visitors outside of the Jewish holidays . Male visitors must wear a head covering.

Graves of famous personalities

Giorgio Bassani (1916-2000), writer
Alberto Pisa (1864–1930), painter
Renzo Ravenna (1893–1961), lawyer and politician during fascism

Memorial to Italian soldiers of the Jewish faith from Ferrara who died in the First World War

literature

Paolo Ravenna: L'antico orto degli ebrei. Il cimitero ebraico a Ferrara - The ancient meadow of the jews. The jewish cemetery of Ferrara . Collana Fotografia, Corbo Editore, Ferrara 1998. ISBN 978-88-85325-80-7 .

Web links

Commons : Jewish Cemetery (Ferrara) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Eberhard Schmidt: The Jews of Ferrara. On the trail of the Bassani novel "The Gardens of the Finzi-Contini" In: Die Zeit from March 29, 1991 (accessed on October 27, 2015)

Individual evidence

↑ Matteo Provasi: Ferrara ebraica - una città nella città . No. 4 . G2 Editrice, Ferrara 2010, ISBN 978-88-89248-20-1 , pp. 118-123 .

44.843545 11.631573Coordinates: 44 ° 50 ′ 36.8 " N , 11 ° 37 ′ 53.7" E

[1] Matteo Provasi: Ferrara ebraica - una città nella città . No. 4 . G2 Editrice, Ferrara 2010, ISBN 978-88-89248-20-1 , pp. 118-123 .