Ordinance of the Italian Synagogue in Venice by Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh of Modena, 1636 – Large, Decorated Manuscript ...

Ordinance of the Italian Synagogue in Venice by Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh of Modena, 1636 – Large, Decorated Manuscript Leaf, 19th Century

Large manuscript leaf, Regolamento della Santa Scuola Italiana di Venezia – ordinance of the Italian synagogue in Venice, 6th Adar II, 1636. [Venice, first half of 19th century]. Italian, with some words in Hebrew.
The present item is a fine, decorated copying of an early ordinance, accepted by the board members of the Italian synagogue in Venice, which was signed by R. Yehudah Aryeh of Modena. The board members, whose names are listed at the top of the leaf, declare that the Italian Jews are forbidden to take part in the prayers of the other (Levantine and Sephardi) synagogues in the city, which impacted the donations received by the synagogue for aliyot, and they detail the fine for contravening the ordinance.

The present leaf was copied by R. Eliyahu Aharon Lattes, whose signature appears on the margins. R. Lattes, who served as Rabbi in Venice until his death in 1840, evidently sought to reenact the ordinance, as the number of Italian congregants had already dwindled in the early 19th century.
This ordinance was published, based on the present leaf, by Abramo A. Piattelli, Una severa disposizione in un Tempio veneziano del '600, La Rassegna Mensile di Israel, terza serie, 35, 1, gennaio 1969, pp. 36-39.
This ordinance does not appear in the ledger (pinkas) of the committee of the Italian community published by Daniel Carpi.

Leaf, 46 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including marginal dark stains. Large tears and open tears to margins, slightly affecting text. Tears in the center of the leaf repaired with paper to verso.