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Hebrews in Slovenian Istria
[Source: Excerpt from Ruth Ellen Gruber and
Samuel D. Gruber, "Jewish Monuments in Slovenia", Jewish Heritage
Report, Vol. II, Nos. 1-2 / Spring-Summer 1998, Slovenia -
http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos1-2/slovenia.htm]
Slovenia has a narrow, 47 kilometer (30 mile),
strip of Adriatic coastline at the northwestern part of the Istrian peninsula,
just south of the Italian city of Trieste. The main towns on the Slovene
coast are Koper, Izola, Piran and Portoroz.
Except for the Napolenic period, when it formed
part of the short-lived Illyrian Provinces from 1809-1814, Istria was ruled by
the Habsburgs from the 14th century until the end of World War I, when it was
granted to Italy over the protests of the newly formed Yugoslav state, "The
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes". Yugoslavia was awarded most of
Istria and other Italian-held territories (including what is now western
Slovenia) after the second World War, and in 1954 it received almost all the
rest of the peninsula, except for the city of Trieste and a strip of coast
immediately to the north of that city. It was this settlement that
incorporated the part of Istria which now forms part of Slovenia. (Most of
Istria today forms part of Croatia.)
Jews from Germany and elsewhere settled in the
Istrian peninsula in the 14th and 15th centuries, and Istria is where a
mysterious false Messiah named Asher Lämmlein (or Lemlein) from Germany made a
sudden - and brief - appearance in 1500-1502. In that "year of penitence" there
were much fasting, much prayer, and a generous distribution of alms.
Protected by local rulers, Jews in Istria were
mainly traders, bankers and money-lenders. Many settled there in the 15th
century to take the place of Tuscan money-lenders, who were expelled from the
region in 1451. Jews generally flourished in this role until the mid-17th
century, when the institution of Church-run "monti di pieta" (pawn shops) drove
them out of the money-lending business.
Trieste, now in Italy, is the only town in Istria
where there was a Jewish community after the middle of the 18th century.
But traces - memories - of Jewish history still remain in some smaller
settlements.
Piran
The ancient seaside town of Piran conserves its
old medieval ghetto square -- Zidovski trg -- entered through a low archway and
surrounded by evocative, multistory buildings, similar to the ghetto
architecture in Venice. The buildings on Zidovski trg are mainly Baroque
on top of medieval foundations.
Piran is a charming little medieval town on a
triangle-shaped spit of land poking into the Gulf of Trieste at the southern end
of Slovenia's coast. English travel writer J.A. Cuddon called it
"one of the most beautiful small towns on the whole coastline."
Conquered by Venice in the late 13th century, it
retains a Venetian air, with fine examples of Venetian-gothic architecture and
an early 17th century church tower above the main square and port, which is a
copy of the bell tower of St. Mark's in Venice. Zidovski trg is the
heart of the old town. In the 1980s, the area underwent considerable
renovation, and the entire quarter surrounding the square was renamed "The
Jewish Square Quarter". The Church of St. Stephen adjoins Zidovski trg
(forming part of its north side), and some historical sources say it was built
on the site of the medieval synagogue.
Koper
Koper (known in Italian as Capodistria), just
south of Trieste and the Italian border, is a very beautiful port that was ruled
by Venice from 1278 to 1797. The town has a distinctly Venetian air seen
in a number of fine buildings such as the 13th/14th century governor's palace,
the 15th century Cathedral and a 15th century loggia on the main square.
Ruled by Austria until 1918, Koper passed to
Italy after the first World War and became part of Yugoslavia after the second
World War. Jews were known to live in Koper in the late 14th century.
The first Jewish money lending bank was opened there in the 1380s, and a ghetto
was established in 1516.
The former Zidovska ulica (Jewish street), is a
short narrow, slightly curving street of five houses perpendicular to Cevljarska
ulica. The street today is known as Triglavska ulica; earlier it was
called via Formi, and before that was Zidovska ulica. The second house on
the right on Cevljarska ulica from the intersection with Triglavska is believed
to be the former site of the synagogue.
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