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Italkim - Definition and Overview |
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Italkim (Hebrew for "Italians") is the term for Jews who have been resident in Italy for at least 2000 years. Despite a continuous presence for over 2000 years, the Italian Jewish community, known as Italkim has numbered no more than 50,000 since it was fully emancipated in 1870. The customs and religious rites of Italkim are in some ways a bridge between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, showing similarities to both. Recent genetic tests have shown that Ashkenazi Jews are most closely related to Italkim.
One of the most famous of Italy's Jews was Rabbi Moses Chaim Luzzato (1707-1746) whose written religious and ethical works are still widely studied and admired for their originality and brilliance.
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