Description
"In the sixteenth century, amid the horrors of war, the Jews of Venice were forced to live in a fortress-like area known as the Ghetto. Born out of religious hatred and economic necessity, this was the first time the entire Jewish population of a city was segregated so completely. In the centuries that followed, the Venetian Ghetto would become the prototype for ghettos throughout Europe-and paved the way for modern antisemitism. But this is also a tale of hope. Against the odds, the Ghetto's residents thrived, creating a vibrant literary, musical, and religious community. They became essential to the survival of Venice itself-and as more Jewish refugees arrived, the Ghetto became a microcosm of the Jewish world. Tracing its story from its medieval origins to the present day, Alexander Lee explores the Ghetto through the eyes of its Jewish inhabitants, from the domestic troubles of a seventeenth-century rabbi to the agonizing wait of a family bound for Auschwitz. Authoritative, detailed, and timely, this definitive history not only shows what happens when war and economics collide with hatred-but also offers a powerful warning for the future"--
