LUGO

LUGO , small town in N. central Italy. The first record of a Jewish settlement in Lugo is a tombstone inscription of 1285. The rule of the House of Este (1437–1598) and the famous fairs of Lugo made the community prosperous. After Lugo came under direct papal rule in 1598, conditions deteriorated. In 1634, 606 Jews, some from neighboring towns, were confined in ghettos, located in the center of the city. In 1703 this number had been reduced to 54 families, among whom the *Finzi, the *Senigallia, and the *Del Vecchio were prominent. The Del Vecchio and later the *Fano families produced several eminent rabbis, more than would be expected from so small a community, though by 1797 it had grown to 648 members. They were mostly involved in market of textile, silver, and second-hand products. In 1796 the French authorities granted emancipation to the Jews, but during the reaction following the temporary withdrawal of the French troops the ghetto was plundered three times. In 1802 the Jews in the city numbered 470. When papal rule was restored in 1814, the old interdictions again came into force and became even harsher under Pope *Leo xii, with the result that several families left Lugo. In 1853, 396 Jews were there. Later they followed the drift to the larger cities. Twenty-six Jews were murdered in Lugo during the Holocaust period. In April 1945 the town was liberated by the Jewish Brigade. In 1969 there was only one Jewish family in Lugo.

bibliography:

Milano, Bibliotheca, index; Roth, Italy, index; Servi, in: Corriere Israelitico, 6 (1867/68), 335–6; Volli, in: rmi, 23 (1957), 65–76; Sierra, ibid., 24 (1958), 451–9. add. bibliography: A. Pirazzini, "Otto secoli di presenza ebraica a Lugo. Stato delle conoscenze e prospettive di indagine," in: Studi Romagnoli, 48 (1997), 81–90.

[Attilio Milano]