Contribute by: dr. Giuseppe Campagna, Ph.D. and Discipline expertise on Modern History at University of Messina.
Messina Judaica. Ebrei, neofiti e criptogiudei in un emporio del Mediterraneo (sec. XV-XVI), Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2020.
The Research punctually reconstructs the presence and the activities carried out by the industrious Jewish community of Messina between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The book follows its events far beyond the edict of expulsion. The author highlights not only its rootedness in the urban territory and the commitment in “traditional” activities, but also different codes of behavior that, at least within Messina, present characters of continuity rather than of contrast with the elites of “gentiles” who administered the universitas. Also with a fruitful comparison with other urban realities of the Regnum Siciliae and of the remaining Mediterranean context, what emerges during the research is an interesting cross-section that underscores the role of a community that appears, at the same time, attentive and jealous guardian of its own traditions but perfectly integrated into the urban context of the city of the Strait, both in terms of activities trade and social relations.
European Jewish History Project 