Ghetto of Gorizia

The earliest evidence of Jewish presence in the County of Gorizia dates back to the late 13th Century, and documents show a permanent settlement in the city from the 16th century. The community, which for centuries was concentrated in the area of Cocevia, at the foot of the castle, was continually subject to periods of tolerance alternated with expulsion orders and the granting of privileges, especially in relation to the money-lending business. In 1692 Emperor Leopold I ordered the ghetto to be established in the Cocevia district. After four years of assessments, however, the choice finally fell on the district of San Giovanni (today’s Via Ascoli), which was more peripheral and removed from the route of the processions. The ghetto was closed off on one side by a gate near the church of San Giovanni, and another on the north side, near the river Corno (which is now covered over). In 1698 the Jews of the city were confined to the ghetto where, however, unlike in many other places, they were allowed to acquire ownership of the buildings in the area. In 1699 the first oratory was built, in the same place where later was erected the fine synagogue that still exists today. On the ground floor of the building were workshops and laboratories of the textile industry, which was growing rapidly in the city, providing jobs for Jews and non-Jews alike.