The United States Library of Congress posted a blog entry on the history of
the Venetian Ghetto. The Ghetto Nuova was established in 1516, that island
and a connected island, the Ghetto Vecchio, became home to the Venetian
Jews, today known as the Venetian Ghetto. While Jews were allowed to engage
in restricted trades such as money lending, pawning and second hand clothes
sales outside of the ghetto during daylight, at night the ghetto gates were
locked. Inside the ghetto was a thriving Jewish cultural; hub were many
Hebrew books were first published. The ghetto was in effect until 1797 when
Napoleon's troops reached Venice and the opened the gates.

On June 21, 2017 the Law Library of the Library of Congress will host its
third commemorative program in the series on the Venetian ghetto. This
program will be the mock appeal of the judgement and punishment of Shylock,
a Venetian Jewish character >from the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Baser Ginsberg will be the presiding judge.

To read more about this program and the program held last month
commemorating the anniversary of the ghetto see: http://tinyurl.com/n7fnmsp

Original url:

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2017/03/understanding-the-venetian-ghetto-from-a-historical-and-literary-perspective/?loclr=eaiclb

On the Library of Congress YouTube page they have a video of last year's The
City of the Jews: Segregated Space and the Admission of Strangers I the
Jewish Ghetto of Venice.

See: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCAUEt3RUrs

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee