Chatzer: Inside Jewish Venice
The documentary film Inside Jewish Venice narrates the story of a part of the city that through time has become a fundamental part of it: Jewish Venice. As well as having constituted the first Jewish…
Chatzer: Inside Jewish Venice
The documentary film Inside Jewish Venice narrates the story of a part of the city that through time has become a fundamental part of it: Jewish Venice. As well as having constituted the first Jewish Ghetto in the world in 1516, Venice has also hosted many famous personalities of the Jewish cultural world, who have built a strong relationship with the city. The attempt of this film is that of giving space to the various faces of the contemporary Jewish identity in this unique city. At this point a series of characters become part of this tale: Olek Mincer is a Polish-Jewish actor that decides to reach Venice in search of a symbolic path that can help him to approach the text of Singer A shed: the last demon of Tishevitz, play that he will soon represent at theatre. In Venice he meets Captain Aldo Izzo who, after having spent his whole life sailing in the Caribbean Seas has decided to dedicate himself to the Jewish cemetery of the Lido. The Captain leads Olek inside an extraordinary universe made of symbols brought by Spanish Jews, ancient inscriptions, legends that animate the old tombstones. It is here that Olek starts to associate the first elements. In completion of his initiatory path, the discovery of a comic by Hugo Pratt The Tale of Venice. It is in this comic that, as if it was magic, the figure of the demon protagonist of Singer's text, becomes alive. Guido Fuga, the closest collaborator of Hugo Pratt, recounts the genesis of the story, taking us to the Corte Sconta and other secret places of Venice. Where are, however, the young Jews that live in Venice? What is their relationship with this intricate path of symbols? We meet Elia, sitting on top of a tree as he has decided to take some time to reflect on his Jewish origin, Venice and his nature. He tells us, from the height of his privileged position, the routes he likes to take in the Jewish cemetery. We visit the cemetery following his echo. Thanks to him we meet Maria, a Jewish girl born in Genoa who studies Hebrew at the University of Venice, but who already envisages herself in Israel where she will finish her studies and reunite with her mother. We follow her during a boat trip on an abandoned island. On this occasion we meet Emanuele, alias Sim, a friend of Maria and Elia. Sim introduces us to the islands of Venice, as well as to the canals and to the Arsenal which, in its fortified structure, reminds us of the Ghetto. In the meanwhile in Marghera, on the most distant tip of dry land, that from where one can admire Venice in all its splendor, a phantom like figure appears dressed in a typical eighteen hundred suit. The figure walks steadily as if trying to reach someone. Our curiosity is satisfied when a small dog reaches him. The man fixes a tiny note on its collar before both disappear. What has happened during the eighteen-hundred to Venetian Jews? What has been their role in the Italian wars of independence, once Napoleon had opened the doors of the Ghetto? To answer these questions we meet Eugenio Ottolengh, son of the chief Rabbi of Venice Adolfo Ottolenghi, deported during the racial prosecutions and killed in a concentration camp. Eugenio recalls the Jewish culture in Venice in the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth. During that time many of the most important figures of the Jewish culture passed through his fathers house. We can therefore understand what kind of importance the Jewsih culture had for Venice in this time period. However, we have not yet managed to identify the mysterious man that we have seen in Marghera, not least the dog. Riccardo Calimani, historian and vice president of the Venetian Jewish Comunity, comes in our aid. The man's name is Alessandro Levi. To escape from Austrians during the wars of independence, Alessandro had taken shelter in Marghera from where he communicated with his mother, Enrichetta, thanks to their dog in whom collar they hided the secret messages. Yet today in campo del ghetto, the messenger dog runs undisturbed passing through the legs of the tourists. Chaim Meir, a student of the Yeshiva of the Lubavitch movement knows nothing about this story; he lives in Venice to finish his studies. He goes and visit the old Jews of the Lido bringing along with him part of his American culture made of chassidic tales and legends narrated in yiddish. His story makes us understand how distant can the Lubavitch, American and Israeli orthodox Jews, be from the Venetian Jews. In fact, the last have always been bound to the maritime city and, probably at times, are more venetians than venetians. Nonetheless, during religious holidays, Lubavitch are able to get involved many of the tourists and residents of the ghetto. We listen, during the lighting of one of the candles of the big chandeliers of Hannuka, a song sang both by the Yeshiva students and by the tourists. The song recites the text of a psalm, and it is curious how, at the other side of the city, the children of a class of a catholic school recite the same exact psalm in Hebrew. It is in fact a weekly class of Hebrew that Suor Lamberta, together with the teacher Nadia De Lazzari, has decided to give to the children of base six. Suor Lamberta tells us that before beginning these lessons, she was not even aware that there was a Ghetto in Venice. Professor Donatella Calabi, explains us how the area of the Ghetto has been absorbed by the city after the opening of its doors, underlining how the process of integration of the Venetian Jews had begun a long time before. We therefore go back to the seventeen hundred and sixteen hundred. Professor Ennio Concina, historian of art, tells us about the two most representative synagogues of the Ghetto, the Spanish and the Levantina. The sumptuous images of the two synagogues accompany his words. Even Lillo Bartoloni, a contemporary painter, belongs to the world of the Venetian Jews even though he was born in Rome. In fact he is a member of the Vivante family and many of his works have been an attempt to describe the literary world of Singer. Lillo tells us about his paintings to whom he feels very close, as if they were some old friends of his. At this point, the Chief Rabbi Elia Richetti tells us of his arrival in Venice, and of how he was immediately struck by the strong sense of belonging to Venetian culture of all the local community. What has happened to Olek in the meantime? He has finally decided to dress the clothes of the demon and to go around the Ghetto reenacting the text of Singer. We see him travelling through the roads of Venice establishing an ideal dialogue with the Venetian Jews. Amongst them there is also Anna, a very mature girl who has decided to follow a very personal path in search of the creation of a Jewish identity of her own, taking into account her origins and the bond with the city of Venice. Rahamin Banin is the chief of the Yeshiva of the Lubavitch movement, as well as of a kosher restaurant. He explains us the story of the Lubavitch movement, of its Russian origins and of the central seat in Brooklyn. Our dog finally manages to bring the note to Enrichetta. Thanks to the recount of the Chief Rabbi Elia Richetti we start speaking once again about the first years of the ghetto, when in its walls a thousand languages were spoken giving place to a non stop cultural exchange. Ennio Concina intervenes explaining us the origins of the Ghetto from an architectural point of view. But, ideally, we want to leave the last word to Maria, Anna, Chaim Meir and Elia. They are the ones to lead us towards the future, towards the building of a dynamic identity in which many different influences are gathered. All these stories in the end contaminate Olek who, in the meanwhile, has finally managed to put on his show. We follow the epilogue, the moment in which the demon dedicates a song to all the Jews in the world. On the notes of this music Elia descends from the tree and, with the ladder on the shoulder, moves steadily towards the horizon.
Chatzer: Inside Jewish Venice
Documentary
Film Details
The documentary film Inside Jewish Venice narrates the story of a part of the city that through time has become a fundamental part of it: Jewish Venice. As well as having constituted the first Jewish Ghetto in the world in 1516, Venice has also hosted many famous personalities of the Jewish cultural world, who have built a strong relationship with the city. The attempt of this film is that of giving space to the various faces of the contemporary Jewish identity in this unique city.
At this point a series of characters become part of this tale: Olek Mincer is a Polish-Jewish actor that decides to reach Venice in search of a symbolic path that can help him to approach the text of Singer A shed: the last demon of Tishevitz, play that he will soon represent at theatre. In Venice he meets Captain Aldo Izzo who, after having spent his whole life sailing in the Caribbean Seas has decided to dedicate himself to the Jewish cemetery of the Lido. The Captain leads Olek inside an extraordinary universe made of symbols brought by Spanish Jews, ancient inscriptions, legends that animate the old tombstones.
It is here that Olek starts to associate the first elements. In completion of his initiatory path, the discovery of a comic by Hugo Pratt The Tale of Venice. It is in this comic that, as if it was magic, the figure of the demon protagonist of Singer's text, becomes alive.
Guido Fuga, the closest collaborator of Hugo Pratt, recounts the genesis of the story, taking us to the Corte Sconta and other secret places of Venice. Where are, however, the young Jews that live in Venice? What is their relationship with this intricate path of symbols? We meet Elia, sitting on top of a tree as he has decided to take some time to reflect on his Jewish origin, Venice and his nature. He tells us, from the height of his privileged position, the routes he likes to take in the Jewish cemetery.
We visit the cemetery following his echo. Thanks to him we meet Maria, a Jewish girl born in Genoa who studies Hebrew at the University of Venice, but who already envisages herself in Israel where she will finish her studies and reunite with her mother. We follow her during a boat trip on an abandoned island.
On this occasion we meet Emanuele, alias Sim, a friend of Maria and Elia. Sim introduces us to the islands of Venice, as well as to the canals and to the Arsenal which, in its fortified structure, reminds us of the Ghetto. In the meanwhile in Marghera, on the most distant tip of dry land, that from where one can admire Venice in all its splendor, a phantom like figure appears dressed in a typical eighteen hundred suit.
The figure walks steadily as if trying to reach someone. Our curiosity is satisfied when a small dog reaches him. The man fixes a tiny note on its collar before both disappear.
What has happened during the eighteen-hundred to Venetian Jews? What has been their role in the Italian wars of independence, once Napoleon had opened the doors of the Ghetto? To answer these questions we meet Eugenio Ottolengh, son of the chief Rabbi of Venice Adolfo Ottolenghi, deported during the racial prosecutions and killed in a concentration camp. Eugenio recalls the Jewish culture in Venice in the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth. During that time many of the most important figures of the Jewish culture passed through his fathers house.
We can therefore understand what kind of importance the Jewsih culture had for Venice in this time period. However, we have not yet managed to identify the mysterious man that we have seen in Marghera, not least the dog. Riccardo Calimani, historian and vice president of the Venetian Jewish Comunity, comes in our aid.
The man's name is Alessandro Levi. To escape from Austrians during the wars of independence, Alessandro had taken shelter in Marghera from where he communicated with his mother, Enrichetta, thanks to their dog in whom collar they hided the secret messages. Yet today in campo del ghetto, the messenger dog runs undisturbed passing through the legs of the tourists.
Chaim Meir, a student of the Yeshiva of the Lubavitch movement knows nothing about this story; he lives in Venice to finish his studies. He goes and visit the old Jews of the Lido bringing along with him part of his American culture made of chassidic tales and legends narrated in yiddish. His story makes us understand how distant can the Lubavitch, American and Israeli orthodox Jews, be from the Venetian Jews.
In fact, the last have always been bound to the maritime city and, probably at times, are more venetians than venetians. Nonetheless, during religious holidays, Lubavitch are able to get involved many of the tourists and residents of the ghetto. We listen, during the lighting of one of the candles of the big chandeliers of Hannuka, a song sang both by the Yeshiva students and by the tourists.
The song recites the text of a psalm, and it is curious how, at the other side of the city, the children of a class of a catholic school recite the same exact psalm in Hebrew. It is in fact a weekly class of Hebrew that Suor Lamberta, together with the teacher Nadia De Lazzari, has decided to give to the children of base six. Suor Lamberta tells us that before beginning these lessons, she was not even aware that there was a Ghetto in Venice.
Professor Donatella Calabi, explains us how the area of the Ghetto has been absorbed by the city after the opening of its doors, underlining how the process of integration of the Venetian Jews had begun a long time before. We therefore go back to the seventeen hundred and sixteen hundred. Professor Ennio Concina, historian of art, tells us about the two most representative synagogues of the Ghetto, the Spanish and the Levantina.
The sumptuous images of the two synagogues accompany his words. Even Lillo Bartoloni, a contemporary painter, belongs to the world of the Venetian Jews even though he was born in Rome. In fact he is a member of the Vivante family and many of his works have been an attempt to describe the literary world of Singer.
Lillo tells us about his paintings to whom he feels very close, as if they were some old friends of his. At this point, the Chief Rabbi Elia Richetti tells us of his arrival in Venice, and of how he was immediately struck by the strong sense of belonging to Venetian culture of all the local community. What has happened to Olek in the meantime? He has finally decided to dress the clothes of the demon and to go around the Ghetto reenacting the text of Singer.
We see him travelling through the roads of Venice establishing an ideal dialogue with the Venetian Jews. Amongst them there is also Anna, a very mature girl who has decided to follow a very personal path in search of the creation of a Jewish identity of her own, taking into account her origins and the bond with the city of Venice. Rahamin Banin is the chief of the Yeshiva of the Lubavitch movement, as well as of a kosher restaurant.
He explains us the story of the Lubavitch movement, of its Russian origins and of the central seat in Brooklyn. Our dog finally manages to bring the note to Enrichetta. Thanks to the recount of the Chief Rabbi Elia Richetti we start speaking once again about the first years of the ghetto, when in its walls a thousand languages were spoken giving place to a non stop cultural exchange.
Ennio Concina intervenes explaining us the origins of the Ghetto from an architectural point of view. But, ideally, we want to leave the last word to Maria, Anna, Chaim Meir and Elia. They are the ones to lead us towards the future, towards the building of a dynamic identity in which many different influences are gathered.
All these stories in the end contaminate Olek who, in the meanwhile, has finally managed to put on his show. We follow the epilogue, the moment in which the demon dedicates a song to all the Jews in the world. On the notes of this music Elia descends from the tree and, with the ladder on the shoulder, moves steadily towards the horizon..