{"product_id":"the-first-ghetto-venice-and-the-origins-of-modern-antisemitism","title":"The First Ghetto: Venice and the Origins of Modern Antisemitism","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFrom an acclaimed historian, the definitive story of the Venetian Ghetto and the emergence of modern antisemitism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“More than a history of a city, the book is a chronicle of a condition, an elegy for Jewish life lived in the paradox of family flourishing and civic exclusion .... A richly researched history of Italian Jewry and its will to live on.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e―Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the early sixteenth century, amidst the ruins of war and mounting religious hatred, the world’s first Jewish “ghetto” was established in Venice. Constrained in cramped, often unsanitary conditions, the Jews who were forced to live there were extorted, abused, and subjected to countless humiliating restrictions. In the centuries that followed, the Venetian Ghetto would become the prototype for ghettos throughout Europe—and pave the way for modern antisemitism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut this is also a tale of hope. Against the odds, the Ghetto’s residents thrived, creating a vibrant literary, musical, and religious community. They became essential to the survival of Venice itself—and as more Jewish refugees arrived, the Ghetto became a microcosm of the Jewish world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTracing its story from its medieval origins to the present day, historian Alexander Lee explores the Ghetto through the eyes of its Jewish inhabitants, from the domestic troubles of a seventeenth-century rabbi to the agonizing wait of a family bound for Auschwitz.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAuthoritative, detailed, and timely, this definitive history shows what happens when war and economics collide with hatred—and also offers a powerful warning for the future.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eby Alexander Lee (Author)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHardcover, 432 Pages, Published May 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HACHETTE BOOK GROUP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47671635083451,"sku":"9781541608771","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0548\/0444\/7419\/files\/Temp_49b463df-81f5-4a2e-8524-4f51c957d624.jpg?v=1775609179","url":"https:\/\/shop.skirball.org\/products\/the-first-ghetto-venice-and-the-origins-of-modern-antisemitism","provider":"Audrey's Museum Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}