Secret Jews
The Italian Jewish Name Game
Secret Jews – Italian Jewish Name
Welcome to another episode of, Secret Jews, brought to you by Dr. Randi I Ross and the William David Company. Inspired by the documentary film, The Secret Jews Of Calabria, a story about Rabbi Barbara Aiello was created by producer Carl Perkal and IbexMotion film makers.
In this episode of Secret Jews Uncovering Hidden Jewish History entitled, “The Italian Jewish Name Game”, Rabbi Barbara Aiello and Carl discuss what is the The Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria (IjCCC), an international organization designed to help those with Italian ancestry discover and embrace their Jewish roots, and how is it involved with surname research? Where do you find these names and what do they tell you about hidden or secret Jews? Has anyone found their Jewish roots through surname research? Examples. Do you establish a blood line? (If you would like to be a guest on a future show, click here to submit your information.)
The story, The Secret Jews Of Calabria, takes you on the incredible journey of the little know history of the Jews of southern Italy. Begining at the time of the Macabees, continues through the horrors of The Inquisition, and arrives at the modern day when Calabrians began to discover and embrace their Jewish roots. When an American rabbi of Italian descent, Barbara Aiello, returns to her ancestral village in Calabria to encourage the locals to discover their Jewish heritage, not everyone (Jews and Christians) welcomes her. Rabbi Barbara takes you on this challenging journey through the “toe” of the Italian “boot,” as she shares the joys and struggles of the “bnei anusim,” – Italians whose families were forced into Christian conversion centuries ago. Obscure alley ways, secret rooms and hidden traditions come to life as locals share family stories of Jewish traditions that for centuries were hiding in plain sight. “I’m Italian but could I be Jewish too?” Rabbi Barbara’s journey courageously answers that question that has mystified southern Italians for centuries and offers a glimpse into a piece of Jewish history that has only recently come to light.