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Laura and Jack discussing produce logistics
Laura's husband is a Director at the Wholesale Food Market for Florence so knows a lot about the the food industry We met Laura Greenblatt, our guide for a tour of Jewish Florence at 10. Writing about our time with her reminds me of how appreciative I am that we have had four wonderful women guides. They have all been well educated, insightful (they can do more than recite facts) and friendly. The two women in Venice are Italian and the two women in Florence ex-pats who are married to Italian men and have been here 15+ years. While there were all excellent guides, it was easier to connect with the two Americans.
We began our tour on the south side of the Arno where the original Jewish settlement was located. There has been a small, generally a few hundred, Jewish community in Florence since 200 BCE. Most of the time, they experienced plain vanilla anti-Semitism and only had to live in a locked ghetto for about 150 years. It was a ghetto with only one well for hundreds of people so life must have been unpleasant. Most of the Medici rulers saw value in having Jews around since they were the bankers for the poor and middle-class supporting economic growth. It never ceases to amaze me that for thousands of
Fried artichokes at Ruth's
Completely amazing....a recipe to be replicated at home years so many Jews choose to remain Jews, when it would have been really easy for them to covert and have a much easier life. Today, when it is easy to be a Jew in America, it’s unlikely that the Jewish community will even maintain itself demographically. I look at the Orthodox with their large families and while I don’t like their version of Judaism, a small part of me is grateful that they are sustaining my faith and my community.
Unlike in Venice, the ghetto was razed in the late 1800’s as part of a revitalization project when Italy became Italy. The synagogue here is possibly the most beautiful synagogue I’ve ever been in. While the Jewish community here has always been small and not particularly wealthy, a single Jewish I industrialist left sufficient money for the construction in the late 1800’s. Laura must be a member because not only does she know the building inside and out, but she also is familiar with the community programs run in an adjacent building. For many years this was the school for Jewish children from kindergarten through high school, but now it only runs a kindergarten. Since there weren’t many
If only I had a place to wear them...
$1,000 shoes for women with excellent balance, who like to walk on tip toe and have galas to attend. Jews in Florence, not that many Jews were deported in WWII. The memorials at the synagogue list approximately 300 people this is a small number and a small percentage as compared to other countries where millions of Jews dies and Jewish populations were essentially wiped out. We had lunch with Laura at Ruth’s Restaurant, the only kosher restaurant in Florence conveniently located next to the synagogue. We had now spent all morning and the early afternoon without baby Jesus, which was a nice respite. I totally understand that everything in Italy was focused on the Catholic Church for the past 1,000, but for someone who isn't Christian it can be a bit overwhelming.
Our next stop was the Palace Vecchio. Unfortunately, it started on such a sour note that I don’t think either Jack or I really enjoyed it as much as we might have otherwise. Evidently some Italian heartthrob was going to be there that evening and they were setting up. We went up the stairs and were confronted by the caterer’s staff. They said to get out. When I said we just bought tickets, the response was, “That’s your problem.” On top of being incredibly rude, they were Americans. We trudged downstairs and were escorted up a different staircase to begin our tour. We had rented their audio tour. The rooms all had names, but on the audio tour the rooms had letters and there was no cross-reference. You’d pick the letters until you saw the room you were in. Maybe that’s the Italian way?
Back at the apartment Jack decided to relax, while I went off in search of a good quality, unusual, made in Florence, not available on the Internet pocketbook that didn’t cost $500 or $1,000. It’s actually harder than it sounds, but based on a recommendation from Laura, I found one. No more leather stores for me!
I also managed to pick up a couple of cute items for TBD. I’m keeping them all secret until the baby shower.
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