At this point let me share with you our gradual entry into the 21st century and the recent acquisition of our first smart phone. On our trips so far, we have always used maps. I am a big believer that by using and consulting a map, you learn much more about your surroundings, you are aware of the geography and you develop an inate sense of the direction that you must turn to reach your destination. The robotic use of aids like Waze and GPS take away any of your own personal attachment to the act of navigation. As well, on many of our driving trips, we have taken a wrong turn and lo and behold have discovered something new that we never would have seen had we been prompted by "at the next roundabout take the third exit direction Milano"!
Prior to our recent trip to Japan, we knew that we would need Waze or some aid to get us in the right direction. No one speaks our language there and sure enough, we were able to do Japan as independent travelers primarily because of the acquisition of our iPhone. And so while I have resisted for long, I am now pleased to say that we appreciate what technology has brought to the table.
On arrival in Italy, we went to Vodaphone in Milan to get our Italian Sim Card. It was an easy process and the agent said to us that in a couple of hours we would get a text message indicating that our service had been activated. Two hours later we were in our hotel in Alessandria and the text message arrived saying that we had used all our credits and that we needed to refill....and we had not yet used the iPhone at all. We called the service centre and got a recording in Italian. And so we asked Baruch to try to help and he spoke with an agent who said that it appeared that no credits had been registered on our account in the office in Milan, and since we were going to Milan on Wednesday evening, we would do without our Waze on Wednesday and get the Sim Card problem fixed that evening in Milan.
So Wednesday morning we are off to Casale Monferrato, a short 32 km. drive, following the map that I still carry with me. We have lots of time, we think, until we pay our toll entering the Autostrade and then see that the ramp going west (which we needed) was closed to all traffic because of an accident. Thankfully, we had a map, and thankfully, I still look at the overall route and instinctively headed in another direction to get to Casale. And so because of all the backtracking we arrived at our destination (where we had a local synagogue guide waiting for us) 30 minutes late and yes, had we had Waze, it likely would have led us in the right direction straight from the hotel. The lesson: always carry your smart phone but always look at a map as well.
When we arrived in Casale, we parked outside the old city as driving in that area is restricted. We proceeded on foot based on a little map that someone outlined for us near the place where we parked. One of the things that we noticed in our first two days here is that there is very little signage in these towns indicating the presence or location of the synagogue. We were also worried that showing up 30 minutes late would mean that we would find the shul locked and our guide who we were supposed to meet would have left by now.
Well, surprisingly, when we got there the door was open and there was a school group inside. In fact, this was the first shul that seemed to have regular hours for tours; open most days of the week etc. And when we walked inside and saw the main sanctuary, the only word that we could think of was AWESOME! This was one of if not the most beautiful shul that we have seen.
The room looks like it has been painted in gold. It is a very tall rectangular room, illuminated by 7 windows and gold plated chandeliers.
To give you perspective as to the massive size of the shul, look for me in the next picture.
The walls, painted in gold, cobalt blue and white are covered with two levels of inscriptions which are framed in intricately carved stucco frames painted in gold. The upper level commemorates historical events that affected the city and its Jews, while the lower level recognizes contributions to the synagogue. On the upper level and on the third level are gold framed grates which allow women in the Ezrat Nashim to see what is occurring in the shul below.
The ceiling is beautifully painted to read "this is the gate of heaven".
The former women's gallery is now used as a museum of Jewish life and many local school groups make their way to this small town to learn about Judaism.
Casale Monferrato's Jews came in the 16th century and established themselves as moneylenders, jewellers, grain merchants, fabric dealers and spice merchants. Over time, it became a major center of Jewish life in Piedmont. When other areas gradually imposed restrictions on Jews, Casale was free of those restrictions. It's greatest Jewish population was 850 in the mid 1800s and now there are 8 Jews who actually live in Casale.
The synagogue which is recognized as a national monument of Italy was built in 1595 and while it is no longer used for regular services, it occasionally has a minyan for Pesach and the high holidays and is often used for weddings.
While we were there the chuppah frame was being prepared for a wedding later that day. It is on a very small street and originally was designed so that it was not recognizable as a shul from the street. Today there is a sign outside indicating that it is a synagogue.
David and Rebecca Leibowitz had told us that while in Casale we should go to the kosher bakery and taste the vanilla shortbread cookies that are manufactured in town. We expressed surprise that in a town with no Jews there could be a kosher bakery. And so we asked our guide in the shul if it was true and he had one of the local residents escort us to the bakery.
The cookies are called Krumiri Rossi and they are the only product baked in this small bakery in town. We met the owner and after giving us a copy of the teudah, he graciously offered to give us a tour of the operation.
The only cookie he makes is made from flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla. It is actually extruded on a little cookie extrusion machine, very similar to the plastic extrusion machinery that I knew so well during my career in the plastics industry. Quite delicious and quite amazing.
It was time to drive to our second stop in Vercelli, 30 Kms. away. I had read in my research that Vercelli would be a surprise since the community had never numbered more than 400 to 500 Jews and they had clearly built something so large that all the Jews in town plus many guests could be comfortably seated. But I had no idea what would await us when we turned down the small street housing the shul.
It was massive, cathedral like, with a facade of grey and white stone, tall towers at the corners and topped by onion domes that reminded me of some of the "duomos" or cathedrals that we had seen in cities like Florence, Rome, Milan and other European cities. Clearly impressive but cold looking. And when we were ushered inside by Sara, the local non Jewish custodian, the feeling of coldness just increased. It was truly impressive, huge, tall, massive and any other adjective that connotes largeness. But unlike the warmth, the neshama, and the inspired feelings that we felt as we walked into each of the previous six shuls, this one left us feeling cold. It might have been the lack of colour or just the size, but we both had the same feeling.
Jews first came to Vercelli in the 1400's. In 1601, a prayer room was established and as the community grew, the community acquired property belonging to local monks and the first shul was established. The present synagogue, located on a small street in the old city, was built in 1878. It took four years to build because of size and the cost of the project. It was designed by Marco Treves, an architect born in Vercelli who also designed the Great Synagogues of Florence and Pisa.
Those who designed and implemented the construction likely envisioned the growth of the Vercelli community. However, emancipation in the mid 1800s brought migration and assimilation and by the 1930s less than 300 Jews remained in Vercelli with a shul that could not be supported by the community. Eventually, the synagogue was in a very dilapidated condition and abandoned.
In the early 2000s, a group of local citizens led a drive and raised money to restore the synagogue. The work is ongoing. The only regular event held in the shul these days is an annual public address featuring one of the rabbis from Milan and the local Bishop. We were told that this draws a crowd.
We left feeling very sad. An amazing building with no one left to fill it.
Back on the road to our final shul of the day in Biella, 49 Kms. northwest of Vercelli. We were told by Baruch Lampronti that we would meet Pietro who would be our guide in Biella and we were also told that he was a volunteer guide. We were not sure what that meant.
When we entered the city, we were not sure how to get to the shul. So we stopped at the tourist info booth and were informed that the shul was in the upper city which could be accessed either by a funicular railway from the lower town, or by driving around the back of the town and then driving up a steep road to access the city. We chose the latter.
After parking, we began walking up the steep very rough cobblestone path in the direction that we were given by the info booth. After walking 50 metres, we saw a man waiting for us, wearing a kippah and with tzitzit hanging out of his shirt. We figured this must be Pietro. He greeted us with a very happy smile and welcomed us warmly.
Once agin, from the outside it looked like any other house on the street. But after entering a hallway and climbing to the top level of the three storey structure, we entered the shul.
This one was very small, had a circular wooden bimah in the centre and an ornately carved greenish wooden Aron in the front. There was a small women's section in a balcony facing the Aron.
There are records of Jews living in Biella in the 1300s, with the maximum Jewish population reaching 100 in the 1800s. The shul dates back to the 1700s. The most famous Jewish citizen of Biella is Camillo Olivetti of the famous typewriter and computer Olivettis. He is buried in Biella's Jewish cemetery.
Today, there are 6 Jews living in Biella, three men and three women. I remarked that it was odd to see someone from such a small town wearing a kippah and Tzitzit whereupon Pietro began to tell us his remarkable story which left us awestruck.
He had not found out until he was 23 that his maternal grandfather was Jewish and from that point on had some interest in learning more about Judaism. It was a long journey with many challenges and with much intense learning about Judaism, but finally last year, some 30 years after his discovery, he travelled to Israel to the Bais Din in Efrat and formally converted. And so, as I joked with him, where else in the world can you go and find 33% of all the males in a city who are not only Jewish but Shomer Shabbat and Shomer Torah UMitzvot?
He spoke about the shul and about his involvement in Jewish life and how against all odds in this remote city, he continues to be Shomer Shabbat and kashrut. It brought tears to his eyes and to ours and he was truly an inspiration to us with his dedication, devotion and immense love of Judaism and Jews. And when I spoke to him as Pietro, he gently said, I am no longer Pietro, I am Eitan and I worked very long and hard to earn my new name, my Jewish name.
He then told us about the treasure that the shul in Biella owns, the oldest kosher Sefer Torah in existence today.
See the following Times of Israel article:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/oldest-torah-scroll-still-in-use-found-in-italy/
After carbon dating the Sefer Torah, it was certified to be from the 1200s and it was subsequently checked by a sofer and declared kosher.
There was a gala hachnosat Sefer Torah in the shul in March of this year.
When I asked him where the Torah was currently, he told me that the shul in Vercelli has it safely stored in a bank vault, something that definitely disturbed Eitan who felt that such a treasure is the property of the entire Jewish people and should not be kept as a museum piece in a vault; it is meant to be used and should be.
We left the shul completely amazed by our encounter with this wonderful person, who exudes Ahavas Torah, Ahavas Hashem and Ahavas Yisrael. He was truly an inspiration. We hope that our paths cross again soon.
How do we sum up the day? The majesty of Casale Monferrato, the emptiness of Vercelli and the rebirth of Judaism in our new friend Eitan. Once again very mixed feelings and once again, pleased that we had made the effort to do this trip.
After returning to Milan and getting the SIM card problem sorted out, we rewarded ourselves with a very nice dinner at Re Salamone in Milan and then drove to our next location in Lenno on the shores of Lake Como.
Our report of Thursday's activities will be on the beauty of Lake Como and the surrounding area.
All the best
Fran and David
Hi, I am taking a trip to this region very soon, and I was wondering if you had a list of which shuls are open during the day and which need to be contact beforehand to visit? And if you have the contact information? Thank you very much!
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