History of the Jews in Livorno
The history of the Jews in Livorno (English: Leghorn; Ladino: Liorne or Liorna), Italy, has been documented since 1583, when descendants of the late 15th-century and early 16th-century expulsions from Spain and Portugal settled in the city.
Livorno traded with northern Europe and the Levant but declined in the later 19th century after losing its status as a free port.
The Medici family, working to promote the growth of the city, its trade, the port, recruited many new settlers from Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
In 1591, and again in 1593, Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany issued a charter to assure all foreigners desiring to settle at Livorno, including Jews, of the most extensive rights and privileges.
As controversies arose regarding the extent of the jurisdiction, the grand duke decreed that severe penalties, such as sentences of death and penal servitude, should be confirmed by the public court.
When the Jewish community was established (in 1593), the directors were empowered to grant safe-conducts and immunity as regards previous crimes and debts to all Jews who settled at Livorno.
In 1822 such cases were also assigned to the municipal courts; the directors of the Jewish community retained the privilege of giving advisory opinions.
Jews were not popularly elected to the council, but one representative was chosen on their behalf by the Grand Duke, from a number of names suggested by the community.
The Jewish deputy took part in the municipal government as representative of the interests of Livornese Jewry, with the same privileges and salary as the Christian magistrates.
Five massari were appointed from a council of fifty persons who had been chosen from among all merchants and house-owners over twenty-five years of age.
During this period, the Jewish community lived by the principle that all male members were obliged to accept communal offices.
In 1814, following the end of French rule, the Grand Duke allowed the old constitution to be revived; he appointed three massari for a period of three years and a council of forty for life.
In 1915 Italian Jewish writer Guido Bedarida would move to the city and later become one of the most important sources on its unique dialect of Judeo-Italian known as Bagitto.
[1] The Jews of Livorno suffered no persecutions, nor were any restrictions imposed upon them, during the entire time of their residence in the city up till the Fascist period starting in the 1930s.
They contributed strongly to the development of commerce and industry as Livorno grew from a small fishing-village into a rich and powerful commercial center.
At least 90 Jews from Livorno were sent to concentration camps, and others were killed in nearby mountains, where there was a significant German army presence.
The rabbinate of Livorno was widely known for its scholarship, as it attracted new learned members from the East, and had connections with the Sephardim of Amsterdam and London.
In Tunisia there was a community of Juifs Portugais, or L'Grana (Livornese), separate from, and (of course) regarding itself as superior to, the native Tunisian Jews (Tuansa).
Many Jews also emigrated to Algeria, Egypt, France and Libya in order to capitalise on their nations' foreign investment.
Livornese cuisine was significantly shaped by its Jewish community of Sephardic and converso merchants, who introduced New World foods such as tomatoes, pumpkin, maize, and haricot beans through their extensive trade networks.
The Portuguese conversos, who formed the majority of the Jewish community in Livorno, also brought with them a rich culinary heritage, including dishes like triglie alla mosaica (red mullet with tomatoes), pumpkin-based recipes, and sweets such as uova filate (threads of egg yolk cooked in syrup), Monte Sinai, bocca di ciama (flourless almond cake), scodellini, and chocolate cakes.
