UNEXPECTED BLOOD LINE

Ok, so here is the very latest wow! 

Long ago, long before the destruction of the second temple, Italy hosted a thriving Jewish community.  In Roma clothing stores covered the business section, and in second and third stories flats, quick hands saws and designed the latest fashions.  Among them was a family named Di-Cori.

In 1492, or thereabouts, when the Spanish Inquisition forced Jewish families out of Spain, many arrived in Italy.  The local Jews helped the new comers to become a part of the scenery, as Jews have done all during their existence. They too became owners and workers of the garment industry. Among them was a family called Spangoletto, "little Spanish", to remind them where they came from and who forced them to flee.

My father was a Spangoletto.  I knew very little about his family. Only recently, since I returned to Israel, was I able to find oodles of cousins on his side of the family, and to enjoy getting to know some of them. 

Last week, we were able to visit, for the first time ever, a Bruno Di-Cori. We talked on the phone, he and I, but this time we met face to face. This 91 years old was a friend of my father. He lives in Jerusalem. He is clear of mind and full of laughter, and he hosted us with stories and a driving-tour in his little red car. He also shared with us an 8 pages document of the family tree. 

According to that family tree, in 1780 an Amadeo Spangoletto was born. In time, he married a de-porto Orbova and had 3 sons. One of them, Moshe Yaacov, had sons and daughters… One son, also Amadeo Spangoletto, was the grandfather of my father.  One daughter, Rebecca, married a Joseph Di-Cori and was the grandmother of Bruno in Jerusalem. This is where both families became a part of a tree.

Before the Second World War there were over 50,000 Jews in Italy.   Many were wiped out. Many dispersed. Many arrived in Israel such as my father family.  Some are planning to come in the next few weeks to Israel. The historical numbers are different between what I can find on the internet and what the Italians in Israel are telling us. But the picture is similar, many died during the IIWW.  I never thought that they suffered from the holocaust, but I was wrong. The Italian Jews had their own persecution during the fascist rule of Mussolini. 

Seeing that picture through the eyes of an Italian survivor, I was excited to meet a family member. It was a gift to know that so many of the family blood line are still alive. Yet, another surprise awaited me.

Bruno asked us to eat lunch with him. His housekeeper is a 43 years old Italian who moved to Israel two years ago. With her came her twin sister, husbands of both, her own daughter and son, and her sister's three kids. Emilie is the grand-granddaughter of Eliza Spagnoletto the daughter of that same Moshe Yaacov the father of my grand-grandfather.  Alas, my grand-grandfather was a bother to her grand-grandmother.

Another Itailian couple joined us for lunch. They arrived in Israeli 7 years ago.  His name is Sergo he is 76 married with family to Renata and his grand-grandmother was Enrica, a daughter to that Moshe Yaacov and a sister to my grand-grandfather… still the same bloodline.

The next morning, we went together to the University of Jerusalem.  We met there a young 26 years old who just graduated from the art program. Ella grand- grandmother is my father's sister….

Confused?

In the Hagada, the book that we read during the Passover meal, there is a song, "In every generation enemies rise to destroy us, but the Lord God of Israel saves us from their hands".

The story of my family is one of many.  Israel is built by the hands of the survivors of pogroms, holocausts, Inquisitions, and other such atrocities. The sons will return home, all of them… meanwhile, we find the blood lines - one family member at the time. 

By the way, the Di-Cori family like so many Italian Jews who lived there before the destruction of the temple are allowed to eat lamb on Passover. The rest of the Jewish population is forbidden to eat lamb at Passover, because they were exiled, so we eat chicken…

BTW, Italian Jews are not Ashkenazy and not Sephardi. They are just... Italians. The have their Italian synagogue and their own rabbi and they are happy that way….

BTW, one of Moshe Yaacov sons was abducted by the Catholic Church. By 1896 His name was changed to De-Rusi Paulu and he became a priest.  A Jewish Catholic Priest…

It is good to meet some of the family; the blood line is still strong. God knows His persons, their tribes and who belongs in the Land of Israel. I am glad He keeps count; ours are not all that accurate….

Praise be to God the restorer of His people, God of Israel.

Orith