Italy
Calabria
In a rural village in Italy’s southern Calabria region, Rabbi Barbara Aiello leads a small but thriving Reconstructionist-affiliated community on the ground floor of her family home. The village of Serastretta is located in a valley between two high mountains, making it a perfect hiding place for the five Crypto-Jewish families who founded the community 500 years ago. Today, around 80 community conversions have been performed through the World Union of Progressive Judaism, many for descendants of Crypto-Jews who also receive a “status recognition” certificate. Classes and services often attract fifty or more attendees, attesting to the dedication of the community.
Welcoming a new baby to the community
Converts gather at the beach to immerse in this natural mikveh
Inside Serastretta’s synagogue
Location
Serrastretta, Calabria
Denomination
Reconstructionist
Synagogue
Sinagoga Ner Tamid del Sud “The Eternal Light of South Italy”
Kulanu support since
2015
We are so grateful to be a Kulanu community. We’ve received a lot of help in the form of donated books that Kulanu collects in the US and ships to us in Italy. Shipping costs are so expensive these days, beyond our community’s budget. Having access to modern, egalitarian, pluralistic books is essential for educating our children appropriately, and for holding services where everyone is literally on the same page.
For my students who have no physical access to a Judaica store, established family tradition, nobody from whom to receive ritual items, Judaica passed along from Kulanu with its own heritage and history is so meaningful. My students get to become custodians of pieces of Jewish history as they enter the Jewish people. It might not seem like a big thing for someone who grew up Jewish, but to us, it is really significant.
Discover Italy
Centuries of history
Southern Italy has long and deep Jewish roots that were interrupted by the Inquisition in the 1300s (1500s in Sicily). The communities’ contemporary revival includes orthodox and progressive efforts. Ner Talmid del Sud’s establishment in 2007 marked the return of synagogues to the region for the first time in over 500 years. The synagogue is one of five progressive communities in Italy.
Reviving Crypto-Jewish traditions
Rabbi Barbara’s research in the region has uncovered practices reminiscent of Judaism among many locals, such as mourning customs, dietary restrictions, holiday celebrations, vocabulary, and Shabbat rituals. She aims to give descendants of Crypto-Jews a better understanding of their heritage, whether or not they choose to embrace Judaism. For example, she has revived the custom of holding a Passover seder on the fifth night of the holiday, a practice that began when the Inquisition would search for Jews celebrating on the normal first and second nights.
Synagogue outreach
Kulanu’s links with the Serrastretta community are incredibly strong since Rabbi Barbara Aiello is a Kulanu board member and regional coordinator. She oversees a number of conversions each year, often for Bnei Anusim who come from across Europe to convert under her supervision. The synagogue offers classes for the wider community, including an English language class, which contributes to their healthy relationship with the local Christian community. During COVID-19, the small synagogue was unable to safely host a Hanukkah celebration, so the priest offered use of the village’s church allowing over fifty local Jews to celebrate together!