La Rassegna Mensile di Israel

La Rassegna Mensile di Israel. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious Italian-language journals dedicated to Jewish studies, Jewish culture, and the history of Italian Jews. Founded in the interwar period, the publication has served as a vital scholarly platform, chronicling the intellectual and communal life of Jewry in Italy through the tumultuous events of the 20th century. Its pages have featured contributions from leading historians, rabbis, and intellectuals, making it an indispensable resource for understanding the Jewish community in the Italian Peninsula.

History and foundation

The journal was established in 1925 in Rome under the initiative of Dante Lattes, a prominent Zionist intellectual and scholar, with the support of Alfonso Pacifici. Its creation occurred during a period of significant transition for Italian Jewry, following the emancipation and amidst the rising tide of Fascism. The publication aimed to foster a modern Jewish identity while engaging with Italian culture and the broader Jewish world. Publication was forcibly interrupted in 1938 following the promulgation of the Racial Laws by the Mussolini regime, which targeted Italian Jews and suppressed Jewish cultural life. It resumed after the Second World War and the Shoah, reflecting on the trauma of the Holocaust and the reconstruction of the Jewish communities in the post-war Italian Republic.

Editorial focus and content

The editorial scope encompasses a wide array of subjects within Judaism and Jewish history, with a particular emphasis on the Italian Jewish experience. Typical content includes scholarly articles on Jewish philosophy, Biblical studies, Jewish literature, and analyses of Jewish law and Halakha. A significant portion is dedicated to reviewing contemporary debates within World Jewry, the State of Israel, and issues of interfaith dialogue, especially with the Catholic Church. The journal also publishes critical essays, book reviews of works by authors like Primo Levi or Carlo Levi, and historical documents pertaining to communities from Venice to Livorno.

Cultural and historical significance

The publication holds immense significance as a continuous record of Italian Jewish thought and resilience through the Fascist era, the Shoah, and the democratic rebirth of Italy. It has been a central forum for discussing the integration of Jewish tradition with modern European culture and for analyzing the impact of major events like the Lateran Treaty, the Second Vatican Council, and the Arab–Israeli conflict. By preserving the voices of its community through decades of change, it acts as a primary source for historians studying the Jewish diaspora in Southern Europe and the unique symbiosis of Jewish and Italian culture.

Notable contributors and editors

Over the decades, the journal's editorial board and list of contributors have included many of the most illustrious figures in Italian Judaism and international Jewish studies. Its founders, Dante Lattes and Alfonso Pacifici, were seminal early editors. Later influential editors and directors included Chief Rabbi Elio Toaff of Rome, and scholars such as Attilio Milano and Bruno Di Porto. Notable contributors have encompassed a wide spectrum, from philosophers like Emmanuel Levinas and historians such as Cecil Roth to Italian Jewish writers like Giorgio Bassani and Natalia Ginzburg, and Israeli scholars including Gershom Scholem.

Publication details and evolution

Initially published as a true monthly review, the journal has seen its frequency and format evolve over time, often published as a bi-monthly or quarterly in later years. It has been published under the auspices of the Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane, the representative body of Italian Jewry. The publication has adapted to changing academic and technological landscapes, with its archives becoming a valuable digital resource for researchers. Despite changes in periodicity, it has maintained a consistent commitment to high scholarly standards, serving universities from Bologna to Jerusalem and remaining a cornerstone of Jewish periodical literature in Italy.

Category:Jewish studies journals Category:Publications established in 1925 Category:Italian magazines Category:Jewish magazines