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 Historical documents and wedding contracts Community registers Ancient Books Historical documents and wedding contracts Part of the archive is consecrated to ancient documents with historical importance and to religious wedding contracts (Ketubot).  The historical documents concerning the Jews’ rights date from 1570 to 1850 and are exposed in the ground floor of the archives. There are some official documents signed by the royal seal relating to the jobs that the Jews were permitted to do, the amnesty for some crimes that the Jews could commit (except setting on fire, organizing a rebellion, using false money and magic), the freedom for Jews to walk in the public roads during the "Saint Week" when the bells didn’t tall or the permission to celebrate religious ceremonies without being disturbed by non Jews. Other documents concern the help that the community gave in 1892 to Palestine Jews and to Russian Jews, the Jewish emancipation or the permission from the duke of Gonzaga to create a Jewish cemetery in 1590.  These documents have a big historical importance especially in reason of the ducal and the royal seal that sign them, which remained intact during many centuries.Only a few documents are exposed in the archive, since many of them still haven’t been translated from Latin or haven’t been archived. The Ketubot resulted generally from gifts. They were established in Casale or Alessandria during the last three centuries. The most ancient Ketubbah dates 1784 but the document exposed in museum is only a copy of it. The oldest exposed document is a Ketubah written in 1842. Many documents remain unexposed because they haven’t been classified yet or because they are too recent. The Ketubot are not only very important historical and genealogical documents for the Community, they are also unique artistic works, thanks to the drawings and the decorated writings which characterize them. Back to the Top Community registers The archives have been reorganized twenty years after the restoration of the synagogue by the Jewish Congregation of Casale Monferrato. The west wing of the building that forms the complex of the Synagogue has been renewed and prepared to accommodate documents and 817 manuscripts gathered in 187 files arranged in chronological order. The archive has also been dedicated to the memory of Livia Pavia Wollemborg. While the Museum through its precious objects witnesses the religious aspect, the archives document what Jewish life in Casale was like in the past centuries. The first files include the Proceedings and Decisions of the Councils that succeeded one another in the administration of the Congregation of Casale and of Monferrato from 1653 to 1932.  In other files are classified the registers of births and deaths, in chronological order starting from the year 1732; the first wedding contract is registered only in 1802. The recordings of the Synagogue and of the Cemetery (through the inscriptions on tombs) help to complete the inevitable gaps that appear here and there.The documents regarding quarrels are quite numerous and they witness feuds among the congregation’s members and various money claims from Jews and Christians. Approximately 50 letters were found with copies, invoices with lists of the tax payers or expenses with detailed notes. The most varied topics can be found: requests for franchises, contracts between Jews, legacies, concessions. The main bulk is totally formed by documents regarding the welfare foundations that acted for almost 100 years, starting in the second half of the 19th century. Among them appear the «Istituzione Barone Abramo Franchetti», the «Society of Work and Art», the «Opera Pia Clava», the «Confraternita Heshrad Holim» and other minor associations like the «Società delle Signore» who gave financial help to poor women after childbirth. Over fifty bundles cover the period from 1779 to 1945 and illustrate the events that characterized the activities of the «Compagnia della Misericordia Israelitica» which later became «Opera di Beneficenza Israelitica». Another part of the files, the 19th century’s documents, regard the Moncalvo’s Congregation. After the Second World War the Moncalvo Jewish Congregation almost disappeared and fell under the jurisdiction of Casale, so the documents that were left were sent to Casale. The last documents regard the Sacerdote family. Back to the Top Ancient books Many books have been accumulated in the Community of Casale. Many hundreds can be found; their classification has already started. The origins, genre and dates of these books are very different. The main bulk is totally formed by prayer or study books (Written or Oral Torah), but most varied topics can be found: a book concerning children’s education, another on the way of curing children, a book explaining the functioning of the sabbatical year or a handwritten book concerning the prayer to be recited in front of a Jew’s grave. These books were printed between 1600 and 1900, mainly in Italy and in particular by the community of Livorno. They belonged to the community, to an association (i.e. the Talmud Torah, the Jewish religious school) or to private individuals of Casale or other places in Italy (Livorno, Acqui, Torino) or in Europe (France and Eastern countries). In these books handwritten notes can be found about the ancient proprietary of the book (the Talmud Torah’s books are often full of incomprehensible writings or scribbles; those belonged to adults contain unusual notes as mathematical calculations or lists of commissions). The most interesting books present sometimes letters or messages like a dedication for a deceased person. The ancient books’ archive lets us understand the relation between the Jews and their religion through the prayer and the study of Judaism. Today only half of the books have been archived. In order to support the important -yet demanding- task of archiving those historical treasures; please click here . Back to the Top
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