“I had a wonderful lunch and I’m glad to pay” these are the words of a guest at nonna betta. something to be proud.

The Roman (Jewish) Ghetto (Italian: Ghetto di Roma) was a ghetto located in the rione Sant’Angelo, in Rome, Italy, in the area surrounded by today’s Via del Portico d’Ottavia, Lungotevere dei Cenci, Via del Progresso and Via di Santa Maria del Pianto close to the Tiber and the Theater of Marcellus. In Italian, the ghetto was called “Serraglio delli Ebrei” (”Enclosure of the Jews”).[1]
The Roman Ghetto was established as a result of Papal bull Cum nimis absurdum, promulgated by Pope Paul IV on 14 July 1555. The bull also required the Jews of Rome, which had existed as a community since before Christian times and which numbered about 2,000 at the time, to live in the ghetto. The ghetto was a walled quarter with three gates that were locked at night. The wall was built under the direction of the architect Giovanni Sallustio Peruzzi. The money for its construction – 300 scudi – had to be paid by the Jewish community. The area of Rome chosen for the ghetto was the most undesirable quarter of the city, subject to constant flooding by the Tiber River. At the time of its founding, the four-block area was expected to contain roughly 1,000 inhabitants.
The bull also revoked all the rights of the Jewish community and imposed on Jews a variety of new restrictions such as prohibition on property ownership and practising medicine on Christians and compulsory Catholic sermons on the Jewish shabbat.
However, the ghetto was welcomed by some Jews who thought that its walls would protect the small Jewish community from possible attacks by Christian mobs and from the drain which must follow from assimilation, at the same time enabling Jewish religious customs to be observed without interference.
Jews were not allowed to own any property, even in the ghetto. Christian owners of houses in the ghetto could keep their property but, because of the “jus gazzagà” (right of possession) they could neither evict the Jews nor raise rents.
Initially, there were two gates in the wall, but the number increased to three in the 16th century, and under Sixtus V to five, and finally, during the 19th century to eight. The additional gates came about as the ghetto was successively enlarged. The gates were opened at dawn and closed every night, one hour after sunset between November and Easter, and two hours at other times. The area had a trapezoidal shape, and contained hardly any noteworthy buildings. The only important square – Piazza Giudea – was divided in two parts by the wall. All the churches which stood in the ghetto were deconsecrated and demolished soon after its construction.

Life in the ghetto

Life in the Roman Ghetto was one of crushing poverty, due to the severe restrictions placed upon the occupations that Jews were allowed to perform. Roman Jews were allowed to work only at unskilled jobs, such as ragmen, secondhand dealers or fish mongers. They were permitted to be pawnbrokers (which had been prohibited to Christians); and this activity excited the hatred of many Christians against them.
In the lottery game, they were allowed to bet only on low numbers (from 1 through 30), and all belonging to the same group of 10. In case of a draw of five numbers of that kind, the Romans said that on that day in the ghetto there was taking place a great feast.
When Jews went outside the ghetto, the men had to wear a yellow cloth (the “sciamanno”), and the women a yellow veil (the same color worn by prostitutes). During the feasts they had to amuse the Christians, competing in humiliating games. They had to run naked, with a rope around the neck, or with their legs closed into sacks. Sometimes they were also ridden by soldiers.
Jews had to petition annually for permission to live there. They paid a yearly tax for the privilege. Jews of Rome were required to swear yearly loyalty to the Pope at the Arch of Titus, which celebrates the Roman sack of Jerusalem of 70 CE. Each year, on the Campidoglio, the Rabbi had to pay homage to the chief of the city counsellors (”Caporione”), receiving by him in exchange for it a kick to his bottom. This “ceremony” meant that the Jewish community had been allowed to stay one more year in Rome.
Every Saturday, the Jewish community was forced to hear compulsory sermons [in front of the small church of San Gregorio a Ponte Quattro Capi, just outside the wall.
At the time of its construction, in the ghetto – as almost everywhere in Rome – there was no fresh water. However, some years later the Popes built several fountains in the rione. One fountain, designed by Giacomo della Porta, was to be placed in the Piazza Giudea, the site of a market, inside the ghetto, but Muzio Mattei used his influence to have the fountain, called Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtle Fountain) located in the Piazza Mattei, in front of his residence.
As the Jewish community inside the ghetto grew, there was severe overcrowding. Since the area could not expand horizontally, the Jews built vertical additions to their houses, which blocked the sun from reaching the already dank and narrow streets.
Of course, the great number of people living in such a small area, together with the poverty of the population, caused terrible hygienic conditions. The district, lying very low and near the Tiber, was often flooded. During the plague of 1656, 800 of 4,000 inhabitants died because of the epidemic. Sant’Angelo, which was the rione with the smallest area, was also, because of the presence of the Ghetto, the one having the largest population density.

Abolition

When the Roman Republic was formed in 1798 and took over the Papal States, it annulled the requirement for Jews to live only in the ghetto; and a Tree of Liberty was planted in Piazza delle Cinque Scole. However, when the Papal States were restored in 1799, the ghetto was reestablished and Jews who had left were compelled to return to the ghetto.
In 1848, at the beginning of his pontificate, Pius IX permitted Jews to live outside the ghetto. However, after returning from exile in 1850, following the crushing of the Roman Republic, which made strong anti-Church measures, the Pope issued a series of anti-liberal measures, including re-instituting the ghetto. The Jewish head tax was abolished in 1850.
The Papal States ceased to exist on 20 September 1870 when they were incorporated in the Kingdom of Italy, but the requirement that Jews live in the ghetto was only formally abolished in 1882. The ghetto walls were torn down in 1888 and the ghetto was almost completely demolished, and the area around the new Synagogue of Rome was reconstructed.
The Roman Ghetto was the last remaining ghetto in Western Europe until they were reintroduced by Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
Hanukkah is widely observed as a holiday that celebrates religious freedom. The persecuted Jews of ancient Israel waged battle against their Syrian/Hellenistic oppressors, and won the right to rededicate the Temple and to restore Jewish worship and religious practices.
Religious freedom is a wonderful thing. It allows us to worship God freely, without being coerced or intimidated by others.
Religious freedom is not a self-evident fact of life. As Jews, we have experienced many circumstances in which we did not enjoy this basic right. Medieval Iberia expelled Jews and Muslims, believing that only Catholics have truth and that “infidels” must not be tolerated. Saudi Arabia of today does not tolerate non-Muslims to practice their religions freely. Indeed, throughout history (including our own times), various groups have not granted religious freedom to “outsiders”. Only the faithful had rights in this world; and only the faithful would be blessed in the world to come. The infidels were deprived of rights in this world, and were doomed to perdition in the world to come.
The great 19th century Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh of Livorno pointed out an obvious—but startling—fact. In his book “Israel and Humanity,” he noted that historic Christianity and Islam claimed to be universal religions—and yet, they were not universal at all. They only made room for fellow believers; “infidels” were persecuted, even murdered. Those of other religions were not granted equal rights in this world, and were deemed to be unworthy of blessing in the world to come. Judaism—which is often depicted as a small, parochial tradition—is actually the religion that is the most universal. It teaches that all who accept the basic Noahide laws of morality are beloved by God. The righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come. While not condoning outright idolatry, Judaism leaves much theological space for non-Jews to achieve spiritual happiness and fulfillment. All humanity is created in the image of God.
When we light the Hanukkah candles, we need to remember the value of religious freedom. We also need to remind ourselves—and others—that religious freedom is a two-way street. It allows us to claim the right to practice our religion freely; but it also entails that we grant this same freedom to others who do not share our religious beliefs and practices.
Religious freedom is a problematic concept for those who are sure that they, and only they, have the absolute Truth. Such people tend to be extreme and intolerant. Since only they have the Truth, they have no patience for those who have other beliefs; indeed, they don’t see the need to grant rights to others. They feel compelled to crush the “opposition”, either by converting them, by coercing them, by oppressing them, or even by murdering them. For the single-minded bigots, religious freedom exists only to serve their interests and to guarantee their freedoms; but it doesn’t involve a mutual commitment to religious freedom for others.
Even within the Jewish community, we have those who take this extreme view of religious freedom. They are happy to enjoy the benefits of freedom; but they disdain those Jews whose beliefs and observances are different from theirs.
Those who see themselves as the only Torah-True Jews do not think they should make religious space for others; on the contrary, they feel that the others should be brought into line with them even by means of coercion. They discredit those who are not in their camp. In Israel, where such extremists exert political power, they initiate coercive action and legislation that impinge on the freedom of others. Since they are convinced that they alone have Truth, they feel warranted in coercing others to follow in their ways. Their mentality is similar to extremists of other religions who find it difficult or impossible to let others enjoy religious freedom.
Religious freedom is not such a simple concept, after all. While it protects each of our rights to practice religion freely, it also demands that we respect the rights of others to do likewise. Religious freedom is the hallmark of a tolerant and wise nation and community. It is a lofty ideal to which all should aspire.
As we celebrate Hanukkah, let us seriously celebrate the value of religious freedom. Let us serve God with purity, with commitment, with spiritual heroism. And let us appreciate that all human beings also deserve the right of religious freedom. When extremists seek to deprive others of this freedom, all society suffers a loss of freedom and dignity.
The Hanukkah lights remind us that we can bring light into a dark world. We can hope that our lights will inspire others and bring them closer to the Almighty.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit said the Lord of hosts.” (Zekharia 4:6)

eran katz, American scholar of super memory yiddish author of the bestseller “jewish techniques to boost memory power” (ed crown) explains how and why the people of God excels in the art of remembering.

Activation is the memory of the senses

“Orthodox Jews in particular, since small, listen to several times during the year, sacred readings, participate in family rituals and celebrations. the stories associated with scents, flavors, colors that belong to a world away. and it is this inner processing to emphasize brain power storage and retrieval of memories, “explains Alberto Oliverio, psychobiology.

because the brain, as evidenced by recent studies of the Weizmann Institute in Tel Aviv, not in the abstract data and catalogs in one area, but distributes them in different circuits: the olfactory, auditory, visual, speech. and the activation of one of these sensory channels favors the re-enactment.

method of loci

read out from Egypt, the flight of David in the wilderness of Maon is a path marked by the so-called technique of loci that allows you to place information in the precise areas and then view them with ease.

Today this method is used by card players, chess, or simply by people who want to enhance their memory.

the value of rest per week

What’s more, among the Jews is sacrosanct on Saturday. suspend activities on this day slows the rhythm of the waves generated by deep brain nuclei. “These electrical vibrations favor the reset of the unstable neural circuits on which they depend recent memories, turning them into more established circuits, thanks to the formation of new synapses-capturing memories,” adds Professor Oliver.

kosher cuisine

but the passage of information from one neuron to another requires the presence of a balanced mixture of glucose, proteins, lipids, vitamins, trace elements. and the kosher kitchen of nonna betta rich in fruits and vegetables in the correct combinations proposals (proteins or carbohydrates with vegetables, never meat with fish or cheese) promotes the proper absorption of vitamin B, which feeds the brain’s nerve fibers and tyrosine, the precursor adrenaline, the fixer of memories.

besides /bɪˈsaɪdz/

A avv.
1 in aggiunta; ancora; in più: Good food, good company and much more besides, buon cibo, compagnia piacevole e molto altro ancora.

I receive a free daily newsletter to learn a word in English everyday. This happened to me today, with an example of possible use to help understand its meaning. and I thought it well describes Nonna Betta – Cucina Kosher. that ultimately is what those who are looking to eat jewish-roman specialties in the ghetto of Rome. delicious artichokes, zucchini in marinate, noodles with chicory and bottarga or Anchovies with the endive is not enough. eating in the ghetto of Rome for many also means to deepen the knowledge of the Jewish world and eating habits “kosher”. then is that “more” that always the grandchildren (nonna means grandmother) find with excellent quality and friendly reception. these are the “besides” of Nonna Betta.