A New Chapter for Jewish Life in Historic Bologna

Jewish life in Bologna, Italy predates even the city’s famed university — the oldest in the world, established in 1088. This winter, a new family arrived to help carry that legacy forward.

Located in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, Bologna is a city with nearly 400,000 residents, best known for its medieval architecture and rich history. For more than a millennium, the city has also been home to Jewish life, including prominent Torah scholars, Talmudic academies, and some of Europe’s earliest Hebrew printing presses. Jewish physicians and professors taught at the university, Jewish texts were studied and printed locally, and synagogues dotted both the city and its surrounding towns. Though expulsions and war took their toll on the community over time, Jewish life never entirely vanished from the city.

Today, Bologna’s Jewish population is small but diverse, made up of longtime locals, expatriates, and several hundred Israeli students studying at the university. Just before Chanukah, Rabbi Levi and Menucha Braun moved to the northern Italian city to connect with Jews in Bologna and throughout the surrounding region. The Brauns say they were warmly embraced by the local Jewish community.

Their first weeks offered a glimpse of the potential for growth in the region. A public menorah lighting held beside Bologna’s Holocaust memorial drew about 20 people who came out despite the rain. Another night of Chanukah, 25 students gathered for a festive evening, many meeting one another for the first time. Since then, the Brauns have begun hosting Friday night meals, visiting students, and reaching out to Jews across Bologna and neighboring cities such as Modena and Ferrara.

Oded Segev, a third-year medical student in Bologna who arrived shortly after the outbreak of the war in Israel, says the presence of the Chabad couple has given students something essential. “They give a sense of community, especially in times like these,” he said. Through fellow students, Segev found a place where he can celebrate Jewish holidays and Shabbat together with others.

That sense of connection is felt beyond the student population as well. Alena Emanuelli, who has recently moved back to nearby Cesena after being born and raised in the region, says Bologna is the closest Jewish center — about an hour away from her by train. “When I came back to Italy a few months ago, I really felt how much things had changed,” she said. “Jewish life is much more active now.” She points to the growing range of activities for students and families, particularly around Chanukah. “In Italy, distant towns can feel very disconnected,” she adds. “What they’re doing really makes a difference.”

For longtime residents of the region, the renewed energy offers hope for the future. Anat Elimelech, who has lived in Italy for four decades and now resides near Forlì, says community is especially important for Israelis and Jews spread across Emilia-Romagna. “There are many Israeli students in Bologna,” she said, “and Chabad helps unite Jews from across the entire region.” Even for those living outside the city, she noted, “it’s important that there is a place that brings everyone together.”

For a city with a Jewish story that spans more than sixteen centuries, a new chapter now unfolds.