Take a Walk Through Shylock's Venice

(The entrance to the Venice Ghetto, above)

Lisa Rubenstein Calevi, a Jewish-American historian who has lived in Northern Italy for 12 years, leads a fascinating walk through the historic Ghetto of Venice called "Shylock's Venice."

Her tour brings participants up close to the uniquely Jewish character of the Italian city, revealing an ancient and still thriving Jewish-Venetian culture.

Calevi holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a M.A. in Italian Renaissance Art History from the Syracuse University Florence Fellowship Program.

For more details, email Calevi at lisa.calevi@gmail.com.

Calevi has lectured in the United States at the Cultural Institute of the Italian Consulate and the Museo Italo Americano, and in Italy for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the University of California, the University of Virginia, the University of Georgia, Syracuse University, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and the Museo di Castelvecchio.

(A part of the Venice Ghetto)

She currently teaches for Trinity College Elderhostel Programs in the Veneto, and guides private groups on specialized tours of northern Italy. She has lived in Verona for 12 years.

Her three-hour tour is spent absorbing the atmosphere of Jewish Venice, the city of Shakespeare's memorable charcater, Shylock.

The walk begins, perhaps surprisingly, with a brief visit, by reservation, to St. Mark's Basilica. Though rarely mentioned, this remarkable church was built in part with tombstones stolen from the historic Jewish cemetary. Participants are actually shown one of the tombstones inside the church.

The Jewish cemetery, restored in 1999, lies across the lagoon on the island of the Lido. It is a mystical place mentioned in the poetry of Byron and Shelley.

Buried here are some of Venice's most famous Jews, including Sara Coppio Sullam, a 17th-century Venetian poet and great beauty, who fought off numerous attempts by Christian suitors to convert and marry her, and Leone da Modena, a beloved 16th-century Venetian rabbi, popular with Venetian jews for granting them permission to travel by gondola on the Sabbath.

(Gravestones in the old Jewish cemetary on the island of Lido)

These and other colorful figures are discussed in great detail throughout the walk. (Separate arrangements can be made to visit the cemetary.)

From St. Mark's square, the tour visits once-secret meeting house richly frescoed by the Renaissance artist Carpaccio, where the depiction of a Jewish lending bank figures prominently in the decorative scheme.

Visitors also are shown the remarkable humiliation to which Jews were subjected during Venice's annual carnival and will learn about the Jewish holiday the Venetians refer to as the "Carnival of the Jews."

Following a pleasant boat ride up the Grand Canal, the tour will enter the world's first Jewish ghetto, founded in 1516 and home to five synagogues. Here, the Venetian Jewish community past and present is visible everywhere: a 400-year old lending bank; colorful ateliers selling everything from Murano glass menorahs and silver mezuzot to Jewish books and engravings; and two poignant memorials honoring Italian Jews lost in World Wars I and II. The walk draws to a close with a stop at a delightful kosher bakery, where the owners will gladly offer you a taste of their beautiful, lace-like flatbread called pane azime (Venetian matzoh).

(The Grand Canal of Venice)

Due to the opening hours of some Venetian monuments, the Shylock's Venice Walk is offered on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday only. The cost is 275 euro, total price for 1-8 people.

Calevi picks up the participants in their hotel hotel lobby at 10 a.m.

A modified version of this walk, excluding a visit to the Basilica and secret meeting house but including a thorough exploration of the ghetto neighborhood, is offered every day of the week, except Saturday. The cost for this tour is 175 euro total price for 1-8 people. Duration: approximately 1 1/2 hours.)

For this tour, Calevi meets participants at the wellhead located in front of the church of San Marcuola (found directly in front of the platform at the vaporetto stop "San Marcuola") at 9.30 am.

At the end of walk, clients may wish to continue their exploration of the ghetto district with a visit to the Museum of Jewish Art (located on the main ghetto square). Museum docents lead groups of up to 20 (every half hour on the hour) on a brief museum tour and inside three historic Venetian synagogues. Entrance tickets cost 8.50 euro per person and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis only.

To hold the date for your walk, Calevi requires a 50% non-refundable deposit (by check in US dollars*) sent to Calevi at:

Lisa Calevi
701 Club Way
Eugene, OR 97401
USA

A wire transfer, in euro, can also be sent.

Participants are asked to calculate the deposit using the following exchange rate ($1.35 = 1 euro): 50% of 275 euro (3 hour walk)
50% of 175 euro (1 1/2 hour walk). The remainder can be paid in cash (preferably euro) at the end of the walk.