Our Jewish Experience in Bologna, Italia

Our trip to Bologna was the most Jewish learning experience in my opinion than every other city we have visited so far. Bologna as a side note I felt has some flaws yet has some strengths as well. I felt as though just as Randell has said, the food in Bologna was some of the best in Italy beating out Florence. Although with great food, I felt as though Bologna was not as beautiful as Florence or Rome with a less ancient historical look to it. Besides that and pertaining to the class and its curriculum, I felt as though Bologna had a lot more to offer as far as the Jews of Italy. We visited the Jewish Ghetto in Bologna although for obvious reasons did not look the same today, which was a main topic in out exploration of the Jews of Italy. I learned that this area which is present day Via Zamboni (professor made a lame joke about ice and zambonis) and Via Oberdan. We learned that in the Jewish ghetto in Bologna was established in May of 1556 after the issuance of Papal Bull by Paul IV which became the 2nd city in the Papal States to segregate Jews. The ghetto had two doors installed which were closed at night, and only allowed one synagogue. We learned about this ghetto in a Jewish museum which was originally built for the Pannolini family in the 15th and 16th century which is now used to educate young Jews about the history of Jews in Bologna.

(As a side note we also visted a university in Bologna and may I say this was much more historic and beautiful than any university that I have seen in America, just from the inside, the outside was not much to look at.)