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The First Ghetto
Venice and the Origins of Modern Antisemitism
Contributors
Formats and Prices
- On Sale
- May 19, 2026
- Page Count
- 432 pages
- Publisher
- Basic Books
- ISBN-13
- 9781541608771
Price
$32.00Price
$42.00 CADFormat
Format:
- Hardcover $32.00 $42.00 CAD
- ebook $19.99 $25.99 CAD
- Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $38.99
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In the early sixteenth century, amidst the ruins of war and mounting religious hatred, the world’s first Jewish “ghetto” was established in Venice. Constrained in cramped, often unsanitary conditions, the Jews who were forced to live there were extorted, abused, and subjected to countless humiliating restrictions. In the centuries that followed, the Venetian Ghetto would become the prototype for ghettos throughout Europe—and pave the way for modern antisemitism.
But this is also a tale of hope. Against the odds, the Ghetto’s residents thrived, creating a vibrant literary, musical, and religious community. They became essential to the survival of Venice itself—and as more Jewish refugees arrived, the Ghetto became a microcosm of the Jewish world.
Tracing its story from its medieval origins to the present day, historian Alexander Lee explores the Ghetto through the eyes of its Jewish inhabitants, from the domestic troubles of a seventeenth-century rabbi to the agonizing wait of a family bound for Auschwitz.
Authoritative, detailed, and timely, this definitive history shows what happens when war and economics collide with hatred—and also offers a powerful warning for the future.
Genre:
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“More than a history of a city, the book is a chronicle of a condition, an elegy for Jewish life lived in the paradox of family flourishing and civic exclusion....A richly researched history of Italian Jewry and its will to live on.”Kirkus
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“Brilliantly researched and deeply moving, this history of the Jews of Venice makes a significant and much needed contribution to the city’s story.”Roger Crowley, author of 1453
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“The First 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 storytelling. Highly recommended.”Miri Rubin, author of The Middle Ages
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“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.”Judith Mackrell, author of The Unfinished Palazzo
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