Many don't know it, but Rome has Europe's oldest Jewish community. The Jews in Italy have strong bi-cultural roots which go back even before the birth of Christ, when the Jews already had an alliance with the Roman Empire. Under the leadership of Judah Maccabeus, many Israelites left the land of Israel to go to the "Eternal City" (Rome) in the second century BCE. It was not until the Romans destroyed the second temple in Jerusalem [70 CE] that the Jewish/Roman alliance was broken and the Jews were forced into slavery. About ten thousand Jews were transported to Rome to be used as work hands to help build the Coliseum. This image of history was frozen in time and will be remembered forever thanks to the Arch of Titus, where the Roman victory over the Jews was etched in stone. Although enslaved, the Jewish population in Rome flourished. Thirteen synagogues were built as well as numerous cemeteries. However, many Romans despised the Jews and found their rituals to be barbaric. The tolerance for religious freedom started to take a turn for the worse in 380 CE when Christianity was recognized as the official religion of the Roman Empire, with very little tolerance for Jews and other religious cults. After 1000 CE, conditions became more uncertain for the Jews because the feudal system and artisan guilds began to be put into place. Jews were barred from all guilds and were only allowed two positions, that of money lending and the selling of used clothing. It is notable that they were allowed to be moneylenders. At the time, the church had forbidden all Christians from money lending and this would not be repealed until the 15th century. However, the position of money lending helped Jews to survive and eventually even to own property. Many feudal lords were kind to their moneylenders and kept them from harm's way. In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council decided that Jews had to live in separate quarters and wear special insignia for the first time in the Italian states. Men were forced to wear red or yellow hats and a cloth badge on their coats. Jewish women had to wear a yellow veil over their hats. These rules were not carried out for very long but they would not be forgotten and they set building blocks for the future. By the second half of the 16th century the church instituted the Papal Bul: All Jews were to be enclosed in ghettos, each community could have only one synagogue, all commercial and civil rights were taken away, and all Jews had to wear a contrassegno (identification). Although similar rules had been instituted in 1215, this was the first time that the laws were regulated. Many Jews decided to flee the Papal State and go to other states where these rules did not exist. In 1516 the first Jewish ghetto was established in Venice and in 1555 a ghetto was established in Rome. Both were overcrowded and dirty, but the study of Torah and Talmud flourished between their closed walls so ironically, rather than destroy Jewish culture, they actually helped it to blossom and grow. It was not until the arrival of Napoleon that the doors of the ghettos were torn down. But when Napoleon was defeated, they were thrown back into the ghettos and once again their rights were taken away. This private tour retraces all this fascinating history, moving backwards and beginning at the Fosse Ardeatine, a site near the Christian catacombs where over 300 Romans (including 73 Jews) were massacred by Nazi occupiers in reprisal for a partisan attack.

The tour continues to Isola Tiberina and the Ghetto. Here you walk from the ancient island in the middle of the Tiber River, through the recently excavated gateway to Rome, arriving finally at the streets of the formerly walled Ghetto. Today it is the heart of the Roman Jewish Community, centered around the impressive Synagogue (completed in 1906). Here you will visit the Temple and its excellent historical museum. The museum guide links 2,000 years of Jewish Heritage to Rome's modern community.

This tour is available on request any day but Saturday and lasts three hours. Prices include private car and driver and personal tour guide. Entrance tickets and meals are not included. Entrance to the synagogue costs 8 Euro/person. If your group includes at least two adults plus children, up to two of the children under 12 years old pay only for tickets. Available in English or Spanish.

 

2008 & 2009	Prices
1 person	348.00 Euro/group
2 people	348.00 Euro/group
3 people	370.00 Euro/group
4 people	370.00 Euro/group
5 people	380.00 Euro/group
6 people	380.00 Euro/group
7 people	380.00 Euro/group
8 people	446.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **
9 people	446.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **
10 people	446.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **
11 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **
12 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **
13 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **
14 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **
15 people	478.00 Euro/group + City Toll 65.00 Euro **

Entrance tickets to the synagogue cost 8 Euro/person extra.

** - If your group totals over 7 people (including children), please add 65.00 Euros to your total cost, to pay for the Rome City Entrance toll.