''La Giudecca'' was a term used In

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

to identify any urban district (or a portion of a village) where

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

communities dwelled and had their

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

s and businesses. Ingresso della Giudecca di Caltagirone

Unlike the compulsory

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

s of Northern Italy and elsewhere, in some Southern Italian hamlets and cities Jewish families and their members voluntarily chose to live in certain areas but were free to travel and even contribute together with their Christian neighbours to the success or commercial, cultural and artistic progress of a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. A very few Sicilian Giudeccas were unhealthy and declined, in fact, the majority included many craftsmen, doctors and tradesmen.

Etymology

''Judeca'' and ''Giudecca'' are the corrupt or jargonized medieval versions of the Latin female adjective ''Judaica'', meaning ''Jewish'' or ''Judaean''. ''The Jewess'' or ''The Jewry'' are other plausible meanings. It is not known why the Venetian island of Giudecca acquired that name, as there is no evidence of Jewish settlement there.

Jewish neighbourhoods in Southern Italy

Some names and their meanings

Notes and references

{{Reflist *''Sicilia Judaica'', N. Bucaria. Flaccovio Editore (1996). Jews and Judaism in Italy Jewish Italian history Jewish communities in Italy