Veduta della facciata della sinagoga di Alessandria

Synagogue

Via Milano, 7, 15121 Alessandria
(first floor, no elevator)

Cemetery

Viale Teresa Michel, 15121 Alessandria.
The Jewish section is accessed through the municipal cemetery.

Alessandria

Among the first Jewish presences was Abramo Vitale de Sacerdoti, who, in 1490, was allowed to reside in the city to open a lending bank. In the following centuries, his family played a prominent role within the Jewish community and in relation to the city, then under the Duchy of Milan. With the city’s passage to the Savoy family in 1707, the history of the Jews became intertwined with that of other Piedmontese territories, and in 1723 the ghetto was established. The area chosen was where the Jewish population had long settled, between present-day Via Migliara, Via dei Martiri, Via Vochieri, and Via Milano (then called Contrada degli Ebrei). The Alessandria ghetto was the third most populous in Piedmont. Despite 19th-century modifications, some characteristic features, such as the internal connecting galleries and the raised floors, remain. After the Emancipation of 1848, many Alexandrian Jews contributed in various ways to the life of the city and of the Italy of the Risorgimento. Over the last century, the phenomenon of urbanization coupled with racial persecution has led to the community’s drastic decline.

Sinagogue

The Synagogue of Alessandria, inaugurated in 1871, is the result of the transformation of a pre-existing building in the heart of the former ghetto. As in many other cities, the Community wanted to celebrate the Emancipation of 1848 by erecting a new monumental temple, a symbol of integration into local society. It features eclectic architecture with neo-Gothic influences, especially in the imposing façade, punctuated by arched windows and crowned by pinnacles. The interior of the hall, located on the first floor, is inspired by the model of Christian churches, with tevah and aron combined in the same space and seating for the public facing them. On the short sides, there are two tiers of loggias defined by slender columns: along the entrance wall is the women’s gallery and, around the large niche of the aron, the choir and harmonium.
Following the Nazi devastation of 1943-1944, the synagogue’s furnishings were destroyed or stolen. After the war, they were replaced with those from the dismantled synagogues of Nizza Monferrato and Acqui Terme. On the ground floor is a second small synagogue, intended for use on Saturdays and weekdays.

Permanent exhibition

A permanent exhibition on the ground floor of the synagogue complex illustrates some of the key identifying features of Jewish life and local history, with local original artefacts and reconstructions for educational purposes. Ampio spazio è dedicato agli arredi della sinagoga e del Rotolo della Legge; preziosi manufatti tessili si mescolano a oggetti d’uso comune attraverso i quali è possibile immedesimarsi nel quotidiano ebraico e nel passato della Comunità di Alessandria. Fra questi, anche una macchina originale per la preparazione del pane azimo in occasione della Pasqua. A section is devoted to the cycle of life, with objects for personal worship, old photos, and mementoes. One of the prayer books bears a striking commemoration drafted following a tragic event in 1835 when the floor of the hall gave in causing multiple deaths among the people attending. Some of the most evocative items on display are decorated wooden tables from the old ceiling of Alessandria’s synagogue that pre-date the extensive refurbishment completed in 1871: they were re-discovered during the latest restoration as they had been used as a walkway in the new temple’s attic.

Interior of the synagogue of Alessandria
Detail of the permanent exhibition inside the synagogue of Alessandria
View of the interior of the synagogue of Alessandria

Jewish Cemetery

It was built between 1805 and 1806, concurrently with the creation of the new city cemetery, of which it is a branch. In 1936, it was equipped with a monumental, independent entrance through which funeral processions pass (visitors enter through the general cemetery). In the evocative interior space, spontaneous vegetation blends with the trees of the original longitudinal avenue. The oldest section is characterized by simple, aligned memorial stones and headstones; many are now corroded and fallen to the ground. After the Emancipation, some families developed the habit of erecting monumental tombs to distinguish themselves, designed in stylistic continuity with the artifacts of the adjacent Christian cemetery. While some feature symbols of Jewish tradition, others feature the allegorical subjects typical of non-Jewish cemeteries. Many burials also feature elaborate depictions of the deceased—in themselves foreign to Jewish custom—made with bas-reliefs, photographs, and expressive statues in the round.
Detail of the tombstones present inside the cemetery of Alessandria
Headstones placed inside the cemetery Alessandria
Entrance to the Jewish cemetery of Alessandria