Simone Luzzatto

Simone Luzzatto (also Simha Luzzatto, Simchah Ben Itzaq; * 1580, † January 6, 1663 in Venice ) was a rabbi in the ghetto of the Venetian Republic in the seventeenth century.

Life and work

Luzzato came from a family that had immigrated in the 16th century from the Lausitz to Venice.

Luzzatto was trained by the famous rabbi of his time in Italy. His interpretations of the Jewish writings were known in his time and are discussed within the Jewish communities.

His most famous work Discorso circa il stato de gl'Hebrei, et in particolar dimoranti nella Città di Venetia was born in 1638 in a time again incipient persecution of the Jews. Luzzatto wrote the work with regard to the governance of the Republic of Venice and argued that a toleration of Jews in the land bring this more benefits. The activities, which exercised the Jews would, otherwise taken over by foreign merchants, who were not subject to control by the Doge. The title of the book is in German language: speech on the status of the Jews and in particular those who live in the excellent city of Venice.

Luzzattos work was, as written in the Italian language, accepted by the government of Venice and so prevented the expulsion of the Jews from the ghetto. A new edition in 1976 by A. Forni Editore, Bologna.

Luzzatos grave is located amf the Jewish cemetery of Venice Lido.

Writings

• Discorso circa il stato de gl'Hebrei et in particolare demoranti nell ' inclita Città di Venezia. Venezia:. Calleoni 1639 reprint Bologna 1976.
• Socrate overo Dell'humano sapere ... nella quale si opera dimostra quanto sia imbecile l' humano intendimento, mentre non è diretto dalla Divina rivelatione. Venezia:. Tomasini 1651 Dedicated to the Doge Francesco Molin and the Senate of Venice.
• Giuseppe Veltri et al. (Ed.): Scritti politici e filosofici di un ebreo scetico nella Venezia del Seicento, Bompiani, Milan 2013, ISBN 978-88-452-7295-0.