Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria

[CiaoBella1313]

Italian Jewish Roots and Surname Research

I came across this web site. http://rabbibarbara.com/what-we-do/ital ... oQCiy.dpuf

Anyone know about the Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria?



''Italian Jewish Roots

The Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria (IjCCC) is an international organization based in Calabria, the southernmost region of Italy. Founded by Rabbi Barbara Aiello, whose Jewish ancestry includes B’nai Anusim (Italians whose ancestors were forced into adult baptism and Christian conversion during Inquisition times), is the founding director of the IjCCC, an organization dedicated to help those with Italian heritage determine if their family surnames indicate Italian Jewish roots. Although the IjCCC does not establish a blood line, our staff initiates a search of Italian family surnames to determine a Jewish connection.

Staff combs through ancient Inquisition records, searching for matches between family surnames and Jewish religious persecution. For example, in Rabbi Barbara’s family’s the surname “GRANDE” is prominent. Research determined that families named GRANDE, coming from the same towns and villages as Rabbi Aiello’s family members, were arrested and tortured for “judaizing,” practicing Judaism in secret.

We know that during World War II, Nazis kept meticulous records of the Jews they arrested and murdered. Five hundred years earlier, officials of the Inquisition did the same thing. Church officials listed individuals suspected of being Jewish and often described in detail the nature of the “crime,” (such as lighting Shabbat candles or keeping kosher dietary laws) and the penalty imposed (flogging, torture, and often public burning).

Historians have determined that nearly 50 percent of the population of Sicily and southern Italy has Italian Jewish roots and was once Jewish. For clients who contract with the IjCCC, our staff works to determine a Jewish surname connection and if this connection is found, detailed information is shared with the family via a detailed research report.

A partial list of Italian Jewish surnames:

Anania
Garo
Ventura
Viterbo
Barone
Campagna
Costantino
Amato
Balsamo
Marino
Mazza
Romano
Staiti
Bonfiglio
Bruno
Brigandi
Bonanno
Capua
Carafa
Filomarino
Caracciolo
D’Aquino
Monforte
Mele
Gesualdo
Palermo
Milano
Napoli
Pistoia
Montalto
Amantea
Salerno
Speranza
Spagnolo
Cimino
Cristiano
Buono
Giardino
Perna
Licastro
Renda
De Rose
Pugliese
Siciliano
Jenco
Russo
De Masi
Romano
Brancato
Pane
Margiotta
Panaro
Pisciotta
Mozello
Rotoli
Catalano
De Pasquale
Mondella
Chiarelli
De Mayo
Ferraiolo
Foderaro
Orefice
Ferraro
Pignataro
Speziale
Tranquillo
Leone
Dattilo
Simone
Ricca
Stella
Fiore
Gentile
Gioia
Greco
Luzzatto
Del Vecchio
Del Giudice
De Sarro
Diamante
Vitale
Di Giacomo
Di Giovanni
Di Matteo
D’Alessandro
De Pascali
Di Nola
Di Napoli
Di Lentini
Di Rende…


Compiled by
Professor Vincenzo Villella''