This talk explores Jewish life in the Mediterranean port of Livorno, Tuscany, a thriving mercantile hub that hosted the largest Jewish community in Italy at one time. Prof. Bregoli reviews how the Livornese Jews enjoyed freedoms and protections that challenged traditional social structures and established understandings of Jewish-Christian relations, concluding with what Livornese Jewish history teaches us about the broader Jewish experience in Europe.

Francesca Bregoli is Associate Professor at Queens College and The Graduate Center, and currently serves as director of the Center for Jewish Studies at The Graduate Center.  Her research focuses on early modern Italian and Sephardic Jewish history. 

(ZOOM ONLY)