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The First Ghetto: Venice and the Jews

The First Ghetto: Venice and the Jews


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About the Book

A sweeping, riveting history of the Venetian Ghetto, the world’s first Jewish ghetto.

'Brilliantly researched and deeply moving' - Roger Crowley, author of City of Fortune


'Alexander Lee combines expertise in Venetian history, with sensibility to the Jewish past, and a gift for story-telling. Highly recommended' - Professor Miri Rubin, author of Cities of Strangers

In the early sixteenth century, amidst the ruins of war, and in an atmosphere of religious hatred, the world’s first Jewish ‘ghetto’ was established in Venice. Constrained in cramped, often insanitary conditions, the Jews who were forced to live there were extorted, abused and subjected to countless humiliating restrictions. Before long, Venice’s Ghetto became the prototype for ghettos throughout Europe, paving the way for a more vicious and enduring form of antisemitism.

Yet the Ghetto’s story is also a testament of hope. Despite all they faced through the centuries, its residents thrived, creating a flourishing literary, musical and religious community. They sustained Venice’s economy – and, as more migrants arrived, the Ghetto became a microcosm of the Jewish world.

Historian Alexander Lee traces this vivid story from the first Jewish arrivals in the early fourteenth century to the present day, reconstructing the Ghetto through the eyes of its inhabitants – from the domestic squabbles of a sixteenth-century rabbi to the agonising wait of a family bound for Auschwitz.

Authoritative, detailed and incomparably intimate, The First Ghetto offers a fitting monument to the Ghetto’s past – and powerful lessons for the future.



About the Author :
Alexander Lee is a fellow in the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick. Educated at the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh, he has previously held positions at the universities of Oxford, Bergamo, Luxembourg, Lyon 2 and Lyon 3, amongst others. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including Ghetto: The Jews of Venice, Machiavelli: His Life and Times (a Financial Times and New Statesman ‘Book of the Year’) and Humanism and Empire: The Imperial Ideal in Fourteenth-Century Italy. He writes a regular column for History Today and frequently appears on television, radio, and podcasts. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Review :
Fascinating . . . an engrossing tale of cruel prejudice and resilience. The book is packed with detail, but, thanks to fluent writing, it never overwhelms A stunning account of a dark history . . . magnificent In this fascinating history . . . Lee conjures the Adriatic seaport in all its strange glory . . . This admirable book offers a poignant testimony to a people who have approached annihilation many times Intricately described . . . Lee introduces us to some of the city’s remarkable Jewish residents, [who] form the most vivid pages . . . This important and timely book should do much to breathe life back into [the Ghetto] The most extensively researched study of its subject . . . Lee’s survey is the more valuable for giving proper weight to the experience of Venetian Jewish survival . . . [a] splendid account, whose vitality, resourcefulness and variety of detail will make it hard to rival Remarkable . . . a rollercoaster history of the ghetto Brilliantly researched and deeply moving, this history of the Jews of Venice makes a significant and much needed contribution to the city’s story Embattled and persistent, the Jewish community of Venice played a fascinatingly rich role in the city's cultural and economic life. In Alexander Lee, they have found their true and elegant historian Ghetto is the most accessible history of this renowned Venetian quarter. Alexander Lee combines expertise in Venetian history, with sensibility to the Jewish past, and a gift for story-telling. Highly recommended Rich, absorbing, and so beautifully written


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781529066494
  • Publisher: Pan MacMillan
  • Publisher Imprint: Picador
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1529066492
  • Publisher Date: 05 Mar 2026
  • Binding: Digital download
  • Sub Title: Venice and the Jews


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