The Jewish community, whose presence in Mantua is documented as early as the 12th century, played a leading role in the city's economic, social, and cultural life. The settlement was encouraged by the Gonzaga family, who supported the community's expansion through a policy of generous concessions. From the second half of the 14th century, families of moneylenders and, later, artisans and merchants were active in the area, fostering the development of trade and private businesses. In the 16th century, despite popular hostility and anti-Jewish preaching, the Jewish Mantua It is vibrant and thriving, and the community constitutes the 5% of its citizens. Housing is concentrated primarily in the San Pietro neighborhood, but luxurious residences can also be found in other districts. This prosperity continues until the end of the 16th century, until, in 1610, pressure from the Pope becomes so strong that Vincenzo I Gonzaga establishes a ghetto and adopts restrictive and persecutory measures. Fortunately, with the advent of Maria Theresa of Austria, the Jews regain many of their rights, but it is with the arrival of the French that the ghetto gates are torn down and the remaining prohibitions are removed. In the 19th century, the Jews of Mantua experience increasing integration and economic growth, however, many Jewish families move from Mantua to Milan, attracted by greater economic opportunities. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, the community continues to decline, suffering a dramatic collapse during the Holocaust. We recall the contribution of Jews to Mantua's theater and music, with Leone De' Sommi and Salomone Rossi; to medicine, thanks to the doctors of the Portaleone family; and to typographic culture, with Abraham Conat, whose printing house was the first in Italy to print in Hebrew characters.
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