Overview
The first records of the Jewish community in Gorizia date back to the 13th century. Initially, families lived in the area at the foot of the castle, then, from the end of the 17th century, in the ghetto, which became a centre of commercial and craft activities, especially silk production. The Jewish community played an important role among the city's bourgeoisie and was also distinguished by its high cultural level, so much so that Gorizia was called the “little Jerusalem on the Isonzo”.
During the last phase of the Habsburg Empire, many of its members joined the Italian irredentist movement, but they then suffered restrictions due to the racial laws of 1938. With the Nazi occupation, the remaining Jews were deported to Auschwitz and very few survived.
The Ashkenazi synagogue was opened in 1756. Today, it is no longer used for worship and is open to the public as a cultural space. It retains its original 18th-century appearance: a large, bright hall with a wooden women's gallery, wrought-iron chandeliers, pews, a dark marble tabernacle for the Torah and a platform for reading the Scriptures.
At the entrance, a plaque commemorates the victims of deportation; next to it is the 18th-century gate of the Ghetto and a garden dedicated to Bruno Faber, a newborn baby who was deported to Auschwitz.
