Venezia (Venice)

The presence of Jews settlements in Veneto (the region of Venezia) is attested since the 4th and the 5th centuries.
In the town of Venezia there were Jews during the Dark Ages and their number increased since 14th century when Jewish merchants and moneylenders were allowed to work in town.
An important wave of immigration occurred after 1492 when Jews were  expelled from Spain and Portugal. Many of these Spanish and Portugese Marranos went back to Judaism once moving to Venice.

In 1516 the Governor of Venice decided that all the Jews had to live in a closed area of the city, the "ghetto". In 1541 and in 1603 other areas were added to the first ghetto where Jews of other communities of Veneto (Treviso, Padova, Verona, Vicenza, Rovigo, Mestre, etc.) were required to reside. Later the ghetto became the place of residence also for  Jews from Rome, from South Italy and from Poland where they escaped persecutions and massacres. 

In the three parts of the ghetto ("ghetto novo", "vecchio", and "novissimo") German, Levantine and Italian Jews melted together. Their number fluctuated, due to immigration, restrictions, plague and emigration.

Number of the Jews of Venice:

Year Jews in Venice 1516 700 1581 1.050 1642 3.300 1770 1.800 1871 2.670 1938 2.200

Record Repositories:
- Jewish Community
Address: Venezia - Ghetto vecchio, 2899, cap. 30121, tel. +39/041715012
Archive of the Jewish Community, Cannaregio 2899, tel. +39/041718833.

-  State Archive of Venezia
Address: Campo dei Frari, 3002 - 30125 - Venezia, tel: +39/0415222281, fax: 0415229220 
E-mail: asve@archivi.beniculturali.it
State Archive of Venezia Webpage  

- Venezia Town Archive
Address: Castello, 2737/F 30122 - Venezia, tel: +39/415289261
E-mail: celestia@comune.venezia.it
Venezia Town Archive Webpage  

The Jewish cemetery of Venezia is one of the oldest and most historically important Jewish cemetery in Europe. It was founded in 1386 and for four centuries served as the only burial ground for the Jews of Venezia. It holds hundreds of tombstones dating back to its foundation. Funerals took place in gondolas from the Jewish Ghetto to the cemetery situated in the northern part  of Venice.
		A Jewish funeral in Venice

Resources of the 17th and the 19th  century:
List of records that can be found for the Jews of Venice:

House of the Jews in an ancient map

Bibliography:

- Annie Sacerdoti, Guida al'Italia Ebraica, Marietti, Genova: 1986, English transl.  by Richard F. De Lossa, Guide to Jewish Italy, Israelowitz Publishing, Brooklyn NY: 1989.
- Riccardo Calimani, Storia del Ghetto di Venezia, Mondadori, Milano: 1995
- Cecil Roth, Venice. History of Jews in Venice, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia: 1930. - Jewish communities series.
- Umberto Fortis, Jews and synagogues: Venice, Florence, Rome, Leghorn; a practical guide, Edizioni Storti, Venezia 1973.
- Alan Charles Harris, La demografia del Ghetto in Italia, "Rassegna mensile d'Israel", 1967, 3-66.

Surnames of the Jews of Venezia:
Most frequent surnames found in documents of the 17th-19th centuries:
Abenani, Abinini, Affaras, Agnelo, Altaras, Amar, Ancona, Ancona, Angeli, Angnelli,
Bach, Bachani, Baldosa, Ban, Barcha, Barohes, Baruch, Basan, Basevi, Basevo, Beatar, Belgrado, Ben, Bendana, Benine, Benini, Benvinisti, Bolafoia, Bona, Bono, Bora, Brazilai, Brocasa,
Cabibe, Calimana, Calimaneto, Calimani, Calvo, Capon, Carcasoni, Carela, Castel Francho, Castra, Cenda, Cesana, Cezana, Cigala, Cividal, Coen, Coen Da Pesaro, Coen De Sevilia, Coena, Cologna, Colognia, Colombo, Colongia, Colonia, Coronel, Cupin, Cuses, Cusi,
Da Colognia, Da Colonia, Da Fano, Da Latisana, Da Lor Man, Da Montagnana, Da Muggia, Da Mugia, Da Muia, Da Padova, Da Pesare, Da Pesaro, Da Porto, Da Rovigo, Da Todesco, Da Udene, Da Udercio, Da Uderzo, Dal Ban, Dal Ben, Dal Medego, Dal Medico, Dal Osto, Dalla Morea, Dela Man, De Leon, Deli Negri, De Peiran, De San Daniel, De Val De Masin, De Vale Morta, Del Medego, Del Videlo, Dina, D'Istrja, Dosemo
Efa,
Fais, Fano, Feba, Febo, Fenhigio, Fiorentin, Fiorentina, Fiorentino, Flores,
Gabai, Gadeglia, Gerson, Gesuron, Giob, Grasin, Grasina, Grasini, Grason, Grassi, Grassin, Grassini, Gravai, Gregeto, Gregetto,
Iesiele Panaroto, Iesuruana, Iesurun, Isai, Israel, Iuda,
La Man, Latisana, Leon, Levi, Levi Balarin, Lion, Lombroso, Lombrosso, Lor Man, Luzato, Luzatto, Luzzato, Luzzatto,
Maestro, Malta, Malta, Mamugnan, Mamunian, Mamuniana, Mantovana, Marcaria, Marcharia, Marlin, Marnugnan, Maza, Mazin, Mazo, Mazod, Medego, Medico, Micaud, Mochato, Monisa, Montagnana, Monte Reale, Montechiaro, Mora, Morea, Moreno, Moresho, Muggia, Mugia, Muia, Mutto,
Nacasin, Nasi, Naso, Nasso, Navara, Navarese, Navaro, Nazo, Negri, Nemias, Netto, Nordino, Norso, Novascho, Nusafia,
Omesta, Osto, Ozema,
Padova, Padovan, Panaroto, Parenso, Parenzo, Pastelin, Peiran, Penso, Perosin, Pesare, Pesaro, Picho, Pihio, Piran, Polito, Pomas, Pomes, Pones, Porto,
Rieti, Rovigo,
Sacaria, Sachi, Sacil, Sacirdotto, San Daniel, San Vitto, Saralva, Saralvo, Saraval, Saravala, Sarfatti, Scalamela, Scaramella, Segala, Sena, Senigo, Sesi, Singior, Sion, Soncin, Sonsin, Sonzin, Sora, Spagiola, Spanol, Squercin, Suavea, Sulam, Sunsin, Surun, Susin,
Tedesco, Tobi, Tobi, Todesa, Todeschin, Todesco, Tolosa, Tomar, Tremosino, Treves,
Udene, Udercio, Uderzo, 
Val De Masin, Vale Morta, Valencin, Valenso, Varo, Verges, Vezino, Videlo, Vigo, Vigolin, Vinturin, Voltera, Volterà,
Zacuto, Zezana, Zoto