The Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew All Roads Lead to Rome

Part I

At the Colosseum On the streets of the Jewish Ghetto in Rome

Similar to the twenty-five years prior to the Yomim Noraim of 2015, we finalized our travel plans to Poland. We were going to Warsaw for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, where I would be the baal tefilla at the Nozyk Synagogue, where I had davened in 1979 for the first time. The main travel plans, the hotel we stayed at, and even the people where we ate by were basically the same year after year. The tefillos I davened, the type of lectures that I gave, and the people we met had somewhat of an established pattern, which did not change much over time. What did change drastically from year to year was where we would spend our time from Tzom Gedalya until Erev Yom Kippur. Although there were a number of times that we stayed in Poland during that period, most years we traveled to other countries and cities within Europe.

Speaking honestly, we both felt a sense of guilt traveling during these Days of Awe. Touring, sightseeing, eating out at restaurants, and the concept of having fun was just not the most proper way to spend our time during these Days of Judgment. Yet, the opportunity of being in Europe, and the relatively free time we had during those days, passionately beckoned us to visit so many cities and even to travel to some far-flung places. Interestingly, time after time and year after year, we realized that our feelings of guilt were not warranted. Especially when we connected with the community of Jews in each locality and with other Jewish visitors, we felt justified that we made the right decision to travel during this time of year. When we spent time learning about the regional Jewish history, their local customs, and their religious commitment, we felt vindicated about the travel choices that we made. The fact that we did touring and had fun was incidental to the relationships we formed with our fellow Jews.

Our trip from Warsaw to Rome that year was somewhat inconvenient. To save a considerable amount of money, we booked on Ryanair, a budget airline. The airport servicing this airline is a lot further out from central Warsaw. The amount of luggage one takes along for free is negligible, so we had to limit the items we packed or pay heftily. Also, the crowds at the airport and the amount of passengers on our flight made this journey arduous. Add in a delay in taking off and the impatient wait to retrieve our luggage, along with a lengthy taxi drive, and we did not reach our hotel until way past midnight. The taxi could not immediately find the address and then we had to wake up the manager to let us in. I must say she was very hospitable when we arrived and served us hot tea and pastries before we finally went off to sleep.

We were in Rome twice before. The first time was for two days, during our delayed honeymoon trip in 1971. The second time was while waiting for a connecting flight, when we had the time to go into the city and do a bit of touring for about three hours. I wrote previously about our honeymoon trip and the one and only kosher restaurant in the city, which was unfortunately closed on December 25, the day we arrived.

What a difference Rome of 2015 was, in terms of Jewish life. When I was planning our trip, I noted that there were over twenty restaurants and eateries in the city, many of them with chalav Yisroel fare, there were about fifteen shuls, about fifteen food shops and a half a dozen kosher

Breakfast at the pensione Romans carrying the Menorah, as depicted in the Arch of Titus

pensiones (boarding) serving kosher breakfast and snacks, where one can rent a room. Most of these were located in a section called Piazza Bologna. Although the pensiones were not Sheratons or Hiltons, being in the Jewish section was an unbelievable convenience. The shuls were within five to ten minutes walking distance from the pensiones and so were the food stores and a number of eateries. The other area with kosher restaurants was the former Rome Ghetto, but the hotels there were very expensive and besides the Great Synagogue there were no other shuls. The Bologna section became a haven for Jews from Libya, mostly those who left after the Six Day War and the remainder during the reign of Gaddafi. While Italian Jews had their own customs and davening rituals, these Jews started their own synagogues incorporating the Sephardic customs of Libya. These newcomers were also more traditional in observance –hence the rapid buildup of kosher establishments and synagogues.

Our first full day in Rome started the next morning, on Thursday. My daily ritual began by going to shul and davening with the Libyan Jews. Also present was the Chabad shaliach, Rabbi Menachem Lazar, with whom I quickly developed a rapport. We then ate a filling breakfast at the pensione topped off with coffee and a danish. We were only a block away from the Metro, which was the most convenient way to go to the city’s center, where most attractions were located. We started out walking through the landscaped gardens of the Villa Borghese and continuing on to the monument-laden Piazza del Popolo. We descended the Spanish Steps, which are a curious mixture of curves, straight flights, vistas and terraces.

Our next stop was the magnificent Trevi Fountain with its beautiful statues. Unfortunately, our view was partially marred because of the restoration which was taking place there. Our final stop was at the Piazza Venezia and the monument to the first Italian King Vittorio Emanuele II. This gigantic square was the site where the

dictator Mussolini gave his speeches. By this time, we were hungry, so we headed towards the Jewish Ghetto and had lunch at Yatvata, a milchig restaurant. We ordered an Italian Jewish specialty, stuffed artichoke, which really was delicious. We then walked around the medieval streets of the Ghetto and watched the dismissal of students from the community school, where over one-thousand Jewish children attend. We then visited the remarkable Jewish museum located under the Great Synagogue. We learned so much from the displays and artifacts about Italian Jewry, a group that is very distinctive from both Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews. Then we went into the magnificent edifice of the Great Synagogue, which actually houses five different synagogues.

The main chamber is lavishly decorated and we remained for Mincha and Maariv services, which included selichos said during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva and was attended by many women as well. It was hard to follow the pronunciation of the chazzan, which was truly unique. By this time, we were tired and hungry again so we ate our sumptuous dinner while sitting in front of the B’Ghetto Ristorante and watched the tourists walk by. It was a long day indeed, but we felt exhilarat-

ed and accomplished as we headed back to our pensione for the night.

The next day was Erev Shabbos, so we planned a shorter itinerary. After davening and breakfast, we took the Metro to the area which has the remnants of Ancient Rome. Even in its state of destruction, one can see the former grandeur of the Roman Empire. The Roman Forum was the center of life during the nearly five hundred years of rule of emperors. It was the place where all important religious, political, commercial and social events took place. Statues and monuments commemorating people and events were erected throughout this vast expanse. Today, the remnants of these glorious buildings and sculptures are still being excavated and displayed as a symbol of the city’s important history.

The site that attracts all Jews is the Arch of Titus, which was dedicated as a victory celebration of the fall of Yerushalayim. The Romans went there to celebrate, while Jews go there to mourn the sacking of the Beis Hamikdash and the taking of our people into captivity. This was the beginning of the long galus that we are still part of. We had seen the Arch of Titus before, but each time our hearts beat with pain as we see the depictions of the Menorah being carried by the Roman legions.

The Colosseum presented us with mixed emotions. We marveled at the ancient architectural genius inherent in this structure, yet we grieved the death and torture of our brothers and sisters that took place in this very arena.

We toured the city for over two hours and took the Metro back to Bologna. We stopped for a sushi lunch at Daruma before returning to our room to get ready for Shabbos. We had seen much and learned a great deal in those two days. Now, we welcomed the opportunity to unwind and reset our internal compasses to “ba’ah Shabbos, ba’ah menucha.”

We had seen the Arch of Titus before, but each time our hearts beat with pain as we see the depictions of the Menorah being carried by the Roman legions.

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.