The Jewish people are a central part of the Roman story and through the sites we visit on the tour We will get to know our ancestors, their story, and what brought us to this point.
For centuries, the name of Rome was associated with the name of the Land of Israel. The Romans called the Holy Land Judea and later Palestine. What caused the change and which emperor decided on the drastic change? Who built the Colosseum and where did they get all the gold and silver to build the largest amphitheater in the Roman world?
Events in the Holy Land that led to changes in the Roman Empire. To what extent are the Maccabees connected to Rome, and in which important church in Rome are the Seven Maccabees buried together with their mother?
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We will understand that the Nazis did not invent the term ghetto or the way of life within it.
Centuries before the 20th century, Jews in Italy lived in ghettosThe papal decrees caused Jews to utilize the skills acquired throughout history not only to survive but, on the contrary, to continue a long and sometimes very prosperous Jewish life.
The Jewish community in Rome still forms a significant part of the city's life today.
A very short walk from the ghetto, we will end the tour at the place where a historical event led to the establishment of the Roman Empire., an event that led to a very long period in which the Roman Senate lost power to the Empire. The tour ends with the farewell speech of Julius Caesar (Giulio Cesare), the beloved emperor of the Jews, who to this day there are Jews called Cesare after him, to whom the speech was delivered and what the reason was.
We will understand the moment when Rome began to crumble and what caused it, not before we tell about the emperors, what they built and what they destroyed.
The name of Judah continued to resonate in Rome even during the Middle Ages and in fact throughout all periods to this day. The tour, in addition to the stories we are used to hearing, offers a different perspective to the tour guide. Not just as a tourist but as an active partner in the story: as a merchant, as a slave, as a fighter for the sanctification of God, as a gladiator… The Jewish people are a central part of the Roman story and through the sites we visit on the tour we will learn about our ancestors, their story and what brought us to this point.
We will talk about the fires in Rome, including the Great Fire of 64 AD, and why Emperor Nero chose to blame the Christians to save his name. Poppea, Nero's wife from 62 to 65 AD, converted to Judaism, and perhaps that is why he chose not to blame the Jews? We will talk about Pompeii, the Roman city near Naples that burned to the ground after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and we will discuss several theories linking the destruction of the Temple to the Pompeii disaster.
We will tell you about the modern fighting style of the Romans, a style thanks to which the Roman legionaries won almost every battle, and how the Jews managed to challenge the Romans in a rebellion, in fact not just one!
Guide details:
A descendant of an ancient Roman family that was forced to come to the Jewish ghetto in Rome, from the town of "Veroli" in the Lazio region, at the turn of the 17th century.
"For over thirty years I have lived in Rome and accompanied tourists on the wonderful adventure of discovering the city and how we Jews are so connected to it."
The tour does not include entrance to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
The tour covers about 3 kilometers.
The tour does not include admission to the Jewish Museum. At the end of the tour, you can enter the Jewish Museum for 11 admission per participant + an additional fee for the tour (hour of tour).
