Spatial and Collective Memories of Jewish Heritage Sites

The Ghetto of Rome

Although 1492 is known for Columbus’ expedition, it was also known for the expulsion of Jews living in Spanish territories. Over 300,000 Jews living in Spain faced forced conversion or expulsion from their homes. As the Jews fled Spain and its Catholic territories, an influx of Jews landed in Italy. However, Jews were not always welcomed in their new homes. Venice was one of the locations which did not support the influx of Jewish migrants. The Venetian ghetto was opened in 1516, in response to the influx of Jews in the area.

Fig. 1

The Venetian ghetto served as a blueprint for the ghetto of Rome. The Roman ghetto was imposed by Pope Paul IV in 1555 and operated for 330 years under papal power until the unification of Italy in 1870. With Pope Paul IV now in charge he felt pressure to show his control and power over the region and felt mass conversion would not only strengthen his legitimacy as pope but would also strengthen and legitimize the power of the Catholic church. The ghetto was a tactic used to force Jews into mass conversions in an attempt to purify and perfect society.

black and white artist drawing of the ghetto of Rome
Fig. 2. Piazza Giudia, showing the gate of the ghetto (right), the police post and the gallows.

The ghetto of Rome functioned to keep Jews separated from the rest of the population. The gates of the ghetto opened at dawn and closed at dusk.

Fig. 3 The ghetto facing the Tiber during the 1880’s.

Due to the ghetto being situated on the bank of the Tiber river, during high periods of rain the river often flooded the ghetto homes. The flooding forced occupants to retreat to higher floors or to leave their homes if possible.

Fig. 4. Bank of the Tiber River

Fig. 5. Bridge Ponte Fabricio, connecting the ghetto and the rest of the city, 1870.

Cramped, damp, and dirty conditions called for high mortality rates due to sickness and vermin. There were often shortages of food due to the high population and the lack of access to food outside of the ghetto.

color artist rendition of the living conditions in the ghetto. people in the main area of the ghetto
Fig. 6 Here we see the crowded and slum conditions of the ghetto. Also, the buildings have multiple floors to accommodate the growing population.

The video below is a quick glimpse into the history of the Jews in Rome and their life during and after the ghetto.

Fig. 7. For more information on the Great Synagogue of Rome and the Jewish Museum check out The Afterlife of the Roman Ghetto.

In this video, there is a feeling of pride in ancestry and the history of Roman Jewry. This pride in ancestry and location of the Jewish quarter is a consequence of transformative collective and spatial memory. The quarter is no longer reflective of the oppressed community which once lived there, rather symbolizes the growth and change that has happened in this community. The Jewish quarter has taken on a transformative nature since its time as the ghetto of Rome. The quarter is reflective of this transformed identity, while spaces such as Great Synagogue is reverent of the diasporic struggles which preceded it.

Below are images of the Roman ghetto during its occupation.

Fig. 8. Ghetto gate.
A bridge connecting the ghetto and the rest of the city. Tiber river flowing underneath the bridge.
Fig. 9. Ponte Fabricio is the oldest bridge in Rome; dating back to the 7th century .
Photo of an open court yard area of the Roman ghetto
Fig. 10. Le Cinque Scole, Rome, as they appeared in the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries.
The photo shows what seems to be an arch way leading down a narrow road with homes on both sides of the road. There are two men in the photo. One on the left side of the photo seated. Another man standing on the right side of the road.
Fig. 11. Ghetto in Rome, late 19th century.
Fig. 12. Ghetto life during the 19th century.

The images above do not speak to the collective narrative one thinks of when referring to the Jewish quarter in Rome today. Unlike the Lodz ghetto memorial, the Ghetto of Rome is not fixed in time, rather, it presents itself as a transformative space. The ghetto and Jews of Rome have been able to change both their collective memory and spatial identity.

Works Cited

Lerner, L. Scott. “Narrating Over the Ghetto of Rome.” Jewish Social Studies, vol. 8, no. 2/3, 2002, pp. 1–38. JSTOR, www.JSTOR .org/stable/4467627.