LUZZATTO

LUZZATTO (sometimes Luzzatti ), Italian family. The name is probably derived from Lausitz (Lat. Lusatia), from where according to tradition the family emigrated into Italy in the mid-15^th century, settling in the Venetian territories. One of the seven Venetian synagogues bore the name "Scuola Luzzatto," and many members of the family are buried in the cemetery of the community on the Lido. Others lived in the towns and townships around Venice. The poet and kabbalist Moses Ḥayyim *Luzzatto derived from the Paduan branch of the family. In 1595 the two brothers abraham and benedetto luzzatto, from Venice, settled in *San Daniele del Friuli. From this branch of the family were descended the brothers Ephraim *Luzzatto and Isaac *Luzzatto, both poets. Another descendant, marco (Mordecai b. Nathan; 1720–1799), was an author and translator. All of his works are in manuscript, and include a Hebrew-Italian dictionary. When the Venetian government introduced its policy of excluding the Jews from the smaller places under its rule in 1777, the San Daniele community became dispersed. The scholarly carpenter hezekiah luzzatto settled in Trieste, where his son Samuel David *Luzzatto was born, the first historian of the family. His son philoxenus (Filosseno; 1829–1854) was an Orientalist. He published many works, including studies on *Ḥisdai ibn Shaprut, the Beta Israel (Falashas), and Hebrew inscriptions. The most recent member was federico luzzatto (1900–1961) who, after a distinguished career in the Italian navy, settled as a farmer in Ereẓ Israel, and did valuable research on Italian Jewish history. Today members of the Luzzatto family, sometimes no longer professing Judaism, are to be found in most important Italian cities and scattered throughout the world.

bibliography:

S.D. Luzzatto, Autobiografia preceduta da alcune notizie storico-letterarie sulla famiglia Luzzatto… (1882), 7–36; Roth, Italy, index; Milano, Italia, index; Milano, Bibliotheca, index; Volume… Federico Luzzatto (1962); F. Luzzatto, Cronache storiche della Università degli ebrei di San Daniele del Friuli (1964); Zoller, in: rej, 94 (1933), 50–56; G. Bedarida, Ebrei d'Italia (1950), index.

[Umberto (Moses David) Cassuto]