The Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew All Roads Lead to Rome

Part II

View from Tivoli Gardens

Like many of the places we visited throughout Europe and the States, we also connected with Chabad in Italy. In the Bologna section of Rome, the shliach was Rabbi Menachem Lazar. I subsequently met his brother, Rabbi Beryl Lazar, twice in Moscow, and we previously met their father in Milan.

When we were in Rome during Aseres Yemei Teshuva of 2015, I met Rav Menachem every morning while davening at the Libyan Beit Shmuel Synagogue. He was very friendly to me and made the arrangements for Pesi and I to join his Friday night seudah which catered both to locals and tourists. The Kabbalat Shabbat davening was Sephardi style, beginning with the recitation of Shir Hashirim aloud by individual mispallelim. The seudah that followed was very enjoyable. The food was plentiful and mostly Middle Eastern fare. We sat across a couple from Paris, with whom we conversed most of the evening. Rav Menachem asked everyone to introduce themselves, which is a staple icebreaker for people who are meeting for the first time. He also asked me to address the participants and give over a dvar Torah. Following dessert, we returned to our pensione to get some well-deserved sleep. The next morning, we returned to Beit Shmuel for davening. I bought an aliya for myself, and we joined the pareve kiddush that followed services. We then returned to our room and had our fleishig seudah from the takeout food that we bought on Friday. This was followed by our traditional Shabbos schluff (nap). After napping and learning for a while, we returned to the shul for Mincha and Shalosh Seudos, where Rav Menachem spoke for the shul members.

The plaque commemorating the burning of the Talmud in Rome in 1553

Before I took my nap, I was reading a magazine which happened to highlight a tragic event that took place in Rome in the year 1553. On September 9 of that year, which was Rosh Hashana, the Office of the Inquisition organized a public burning of the Talmud, where thousands of volumes – many that were handwritten – went up in flames by the decree of the Pope. For the remainder of the century, one could not find a

Some mispallelim at the Beit Shmuel Synagogue With the Chabad shliach of Rome, Rabbi Menachem Lazar

complete set of Talmud in the entire Italy. This dreadful affair took place in a public square called Campo dei Fiori. The article said that two years before, almost 450 years after this episode took place, a plaque was placed in this plaza to commemorate this tragedy. I told Pesi what I had read, and we decided to go on Motzei Shabbos to this square to see the plaque and share the pain of this horrible incident.

We took the Metro and then walked some distance until we arrived at the Campo dei Fiori. We stood in the center of the plaza surrounded by buildings with cafes and restaurants that spilled into the square. The eating places were full of people, with the chatter of the diners and loud music infringing on our serious and somber mood. There was some light coming out of the establishments, but it was still too dark to see on which building the plague commemorating the burning of the Talmud was placed. We could not even approach the buildings, as all of them had tables and chairs blocking their facades. After a few attempts, we resigned ourselves that we would not find the plaque that evening. Nevertheless, I wanted to say something to memorialize the tragic event that took place there. We started walking over to the center of the square,

where there was a statue of the philosopher Giordano Bruno, who was burnt alive for heresy against Catholic beliefs. The whole area was paved with small cobblestones. As we approached the statue, my foot stepped on a small smooth surface that did not have the bumpy feel of cobblestones. I could not see what I was stepping on, so I took out my camera, and with the aid of my flash, I snapped a photo. Lo and behold, when we looked at the photo, we realized that I was standing on the very plaque that we were looking for!

I was flabbergasted and started saying the Mishna of “Eilu Devarim,” which is part of the Talmud as a remembrance of this sad event. The ending words of that Mishna, “V’Talmud Torah keneged kulam,” was very appropriate statement to say at this place.

By that time, it was time to eat again. We walked over to the Ghetto area and followed the famous proverb: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” We imitated the locals and the tourists at the B’ Ghetto Restaurant and ordered pizzas with various toppings. What we didn’t realize was that the size of these individual pizzas was almost as large as a regular pizza pie that is usually sliced into

eight sections. We were stunned when they brought out our orders. Yes, we each ate an entire pie! And yes, they were undeniably delicious! I accompanied our delectable Melave Malka seuda with an undertone of zemiros, and we made our way back to our pensione.

It was Sunday, and we had one more full day left to our Roman holiday. After davening and taking photos with Rav Menachem and the members of the Libyan shul that befriended me, Pesi and I had breakfast on the veranda of our pensione. Then we took the Metro and a bus out to the famed Tivoli Gardens on the outskirts of Rome. The gardens are located at the 16th century Villa d’Este. The Estate is famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance gardens and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent an entire day touring the Villa, walking the gardens, and taking photos. The weather was just beautiful and the experience exhilarating.

After returning, I went for Mincha and Maariv to a different shul, Bet El, and joined an azkara for someone in the community who had recently passed away. Then we ended our evening at a great fleishig restaurant called appropriately Little Tripoli.

We had a half day left on Monday before we would be returning to Warsaw. We took a taxi to Gianicolo to get a bird’s eye view of Rome and many of its monuments. Then we walked down to the area called Trastevere, a bohemian section with artisan craft shops and stalls. Jews lived there until the Middle Ages, before being ordered to move into the Ghetto on the other side of the Tibor River. The streets are narrow and colorful with ancient houses. It is a great place to stroll, and stroll we did for about one hour.

We then rushed back to eat a quick lunch, retrieve our luggage, and head to the airport. We would be arriving in Warsaw by late evening. Tomorrow our focus would change drastically, as we would commence to beg Hashem for forgiveness and ask that He grant us a gmar chasima tova.

What we didn’t realize was that the size of these individual pizzas was almost as large as a regular pizza pie that is usually sliced into eight sections.

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.