An unexpected Haven
By Vanessa Tonnini
At recent ceremonies in memory of the Jews who were interned in a camp in Calabria during World War II, the town of Tarsia named a street after Rabbi Riccardo Pacifici, who was part of the camp's history.
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A Congress on Hebrew Tours in Italy to be Held in Trieste
By Vanessa Tonnini
Trieste, the main outlet to the sea for the Austro-Hungarian Empire for two centuries (1719-1918), one of the focal points of Mitteleuropa and a border city where different cultures meet, is to host the congress "Itinerari ebraici in Italia".
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Brief History of the Jewish Community of Trieste
By Vanessa Tonnini
The oldest surviving documentary evidence of the existence of a Jewish settlement in Trieste is a notarised deed of 1236, but not until 1746 did the Jews of Trieste, who had been present in the city for about eight centuries, set up an official community, with its own statute and schools.
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Virtual tour of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Photos by Roni Hercz
The Jerusalem Post visited Friuli-Venezia Giulia, an untravelled region in the extreme northeast corner of Italy. We found there a unique Jewish heritage and an enchanting location so unlike the rest of Italy. This is our report.
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Trieste Gateway to Zion
By Fransesca Capodano
Trieste, a city in North East Italy, is organising for October 2002 a large meeting/workshop on Jewish itineraries in Italy and a kosher product fair, with a view to promoting the creation of tourist packages capable of boosting incoming tourism to Italy of this specific tourist target group.

Trieste is addressing this market on the grounds of its history and cultural roots which are closely linked to Jewish culture and history. Known as the "Gateway to Zion" for being the port where thousands of Jews heading for the United States and Israel embarked between World War I and II, Trieste is the city that sadly houses as a national monument the only death camp in Italy. It is a multicultural city with a lively Jewish community and one of the largest synagogues in Europe.

The October workshop will be accompanied by an extensive programme of side events linked to Jewish culture and klezmer music, to allow participants to experience the atmosphere of a Jewish heritage trip in Italy.

The initiative is aimed at the tour operators in the United States, Canada and Israel that specialise in outgoing tourism with a focus on cultural and enogastronomic tours.

The meeting is organised by the Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the Trieste Tourist Board (APT) which, during 2001, contacted several tour operators throughout Italy to devise a network of Jewish itineraries. Currently, there are seven itineraries available, all supported by tourist packages providing top level hospitality and typical enogastronomy.

The goal of the Regional Authorities is to encourage tour operators to create packages for tourists interested in Jewish culture and who, using the facilities provided, wish to visit the Italian places of Jewish interest, starting from the "Gateway to Zion", the city of Trieste.

Taking part in the Trieste initiative is easy: the Trieste Tourist Board has made arrangements to welcome tour operators interested in the event. All you have to do is contact the Trieste Tourist Board as soon as possible to book a place.

Please confirm your interest in the initiative as soon as possible. We will shortly send you a detailed programme of the event. Our contact details are given below.

• JEWISH ITINERARIES IN ITALY
• CONFERENCE - WORKSHOP -KOSHER FAIR -KLEZMER FESTIVAL
• CENTRO CONGRESSI STAZIONE MARITTIMA
• TRIESTE (ITALY) - OCTOBER 2002