Thanks for the great links.

My paternal ancestors are from Kundisa/Contessa Entellina, Sicilia. It's an Albanian enclave like Piana Degli Albanese. I have read something to the effect that ancient Entella was an old Greek spot as well.

Shalom

Ebrei

http://www.amazon.com/Most-Ancient-Mino ... 0313318956

Very interesting ideas indeed exist as to the name of Italia.

Shalom

Ebrei

Are you referring to the Italian peninsula as a then vacant land?

Jews were in Rome as early as 200-161 years BCE. Rome is known to be the oldest Jewish community in Europe and also one the oldest continuous Jewish settlements in the world.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Rome.html ...

Hi Peter,

Before the advent of Christianity, Jews settled on the Italian peninsula. It is the oldest living Jewish community in the West. H. Stuart Hughes considers the Jews of Italy "the most ancient of minorities" in Prisoners of Hope: The Silver Age of the Italian Jews.

Dr. Cipolla has a some ...

A good portion of Calabria and Sicilia were Jewish before the Inquisition. These areas were Spanish territories and the Edict of Expulsion applied to them. Jews were forced to flee or convert. Their are many descendants of those forced to convert living in Calabria and Sicilia today. It has been my ...