Giudecca | english

THE GIUDECCA

FROM A FORGOTTEN PLACE TO A TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE PUBLIC ASSET

When an ancient village decides to reclaim its history and cultural identity, unimaginable things happen. This is the case of the Giudecca of Bova, which has been rediscovered, restored and visited in just a few years thanks to the in-depth study carried out by Professor Pasquale Faenza and the artistic sensitivity of the ceramist Antonio Puja Veneziano. What is certain is that if the Municipality of Bova had not put its trust in the numerous projects promoted by the Region of Calabria and had not found the necessary resources, we would not be here today to talk about a place that was inhabited in the Middle Ages by a small Greek-speaking Jewish community, and we would not be able to admire the sunset from the ancient walls that surrounded the Jewish families in one of the windiest unti of Bova, controlled above by the Bishop and below by the Podesta. We could not be enchanted by the numerous concerts of Jewish music in one of the most interesting places in Bova, and we could not appreciate the urban decorum or even the respect for the place, sanctioned by a ceramic stele in which, in 2018, the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York (U.S.A. In 2018, the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York (U.S.A.) expressed its admiration and gratitude to the Bova community for the work carried out and donated a menorah (the 7-armed candelabrum of the Jewish temple), a shofar (a ram's horn used as a musical instrument) and a tallit (a white cloak with black or blue stripes worn by the faithful during morning prayers) as a sign of friendship and recognition. The objects are kept in a niche that seems to have been built specifically to house them.

BETWEEN ANCIENT WALLS AND TECHNOLOGY

Within the walls of the Giudecca di Bova (Bova's Temple), a narrative itinerary unfolds that allows visitors to listen to the myths and legends linked to the centuries-old history of the Jews in Calabria, to learn about the oldest Jewish settlements in the region and to admire the peculiarities of the neighbourhoods inhabited by Jews in southern Italy until the mid-16th century. Didactic panels with QR codes in Italian and English mark a cultural itinerary that unfolds in the midst of a fascinating contemporary art installation created by Antonio Pujia Veneziano to enhance the beauty of this neighbourhood, surrounded by the medieval walls of Bova, on a hill overlooking one of the most evocative views of the Mediterranean.

HISTORY

The first evidence of a Giudecca in Bova dates back to the end of the 15th century. In 1502 the Court of Naples asked the Jews of Bova to pay the tribute they had not paid since 1497. As a result, on 23 August 1503, the six families that made up the Jewish community of Bova paid 9 ducats to Antonio Carnati for the salt tax. Another document from 1508 recalls the request of the Jews of Bova to the Court of Naples to postpone the payment in instalments, a clear sign of the economic difficulties that the Jewish community of Bova was experiencing at that time.

THE DISCOVERY

Thanks to the information given by Domenico Alagna in 1774, it was possible to locate the Judecca of Bova on the outskirts of the city, in the Pirgoli district (from the Greek for "towers"), between two gates that opened to the south, near the Torre della Porta, and to the north, near the Torre Aghios Marini. The entire topographical structure of this ancient Judecca has been preserved, as well as interesting architectural remains, such as the remains of one of the gates, the medieval walls along which we know there was another access, some rooms that tell of the spiritual life of this ancient district, including the well, now incorporated into the courtyard of Palazzo Mesiani, which was fundamental for ritual baths but also for the slaughter of kosher meat.

VALORISATION OF 'TALKING POTTERY' PYROGOS

"Talking Pottery Pyrgos" is the title of the contemporary art installation that Antonio Pujia Veneziano has developed throughout the Jewish quarter of Bova, amplifying the suggestions of this enchanted place. The urban peculiarities of the Jewish quarter, the architectural remains, the written sources and the Jewish religious symbolism are the themes chosen by the artist for the realisation of an impressive series of polychrome glazed ceramic artefacts that evoke the ancient presence of the Jewish community in the Grecanica area of Calabria, guiding the memory in history, in the hope of consigning the Jewish quarter of Bova to the future.

Through contemporary art, evocations of the present and the past animate the visit to the Giudecca, telling of the new life of this quarter, which is now destined to host cultural events related to the history of Judaism in Calabria, the encounter between different religions and ethnic groups, the role of memory and the redevelopment of the cultural heritage of the identity of the Greeks of Calabria.

BETWEEN PRESENT AND PAST

Among the ruins of the Giudecca there are various inscriptions, also in Hebrew, commemorating events that have taken place over the years. These include the winning poem of the first national competition dedicated to the Shoah, "Remembering in order not to forget", organised by Miriam Jaskierowicz Arman, and the letter of thanks sent in 2018 by Rabbi Shaul Robinson of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York (USA).

Inside the Giudecca there is a space dedicated to memory, where the main symbols of the Jewish religion are displayed, which came to Bova directly from Israel, thanks to a donation from the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York (USA). A.), and the prayer book of Jonas Jaskierowicz, a Polish Jew interned in the Auschwitz concentration camp and later in Bergen Belsen, donated to the G. Rohlfs Museum by his daughter Miriam Jaskierowicz Arman.