About Us - Chabad Rome (Piazza Bologna)

The history of the Jews in Rome

The Jews in Rome have been living there for over two thousand years, making it the oldest Jewish community in Europe.

In 1555 the Pope issued a law that forced all Jews to live in the ghetto, in 1870 the ghetto was liberated.

During World War II, the Nazis deported 2091 Jews from Rome to extermination camps, of which only 101 returned to Rome.

In 1967 the Jews in Tripoli, Libya were forced to flee their country and many of them immigrated to Rome and influenced the life of the Jewish community there.

Chabad comes to Rome

Chabad Chasidism was founded in 1798, in 1951 Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson became the last rabbi of Hasidism, making it the most influential movement in modern Judaism. His lessons fill over 300 books and he established the presence of Chabad in over 80 countries with 8000 messengers.

At the request of the chief rabbi of Rome at the time, Eliyahu Toaff, in 1963 the Lubavitcher rabbi sent Rabbi and Mrs. Eliyahu Ouazana to be a Shochet and teacher in Rome.

In 1976, the Lubavitcher Rabbi sent Rabbi and Mrs. Yitzhak Hazan to establish the official presence of Chabad in Rome.

In the 2000s, Rabbi Shalom and Mrs. Hazan and Rabbi Ronnie and Mrs. Canarutto founded their Chabad houses in Rome under the auspices of Rabbi Y. Hazan.

Chabad Piazza Bologna

In December 2008, Hanukkah 5769, under the auspices of Rabbi Yitzhak Hazan, Rabbi Menachem and Rivka Lazar established Chabad Piazza Bologna in Rome, as a financially independent body, and a non-profit organization.

In 2016, a store was opened that served as an office and a meeting place for activities, and in 2018 all activities moved to the current beautiful building.

In recent years also Rabbi Zalmen and Mrs. Springer joined the team of Chabad in Rome in the Parioli area, Rabbi Meir and Mrs. opened Chabad Hamerkaz in the center of Rome and Rabbi Ronnie and Mrs. Canarutto opened Chabad in the Ghetto.

Chabad is available 24 hours 7 days a week to assist the Jews of Rome, students and visitors. We offer social, cultural and religious activities for all ages. All funded by your support!

Rabbi Menachem and Rivka Lazar

Menachem grew up in Milan, finished the 8th grade and continued to study in yeshivas in France, Israel and the USA.

In 2006, he was ordained to the rabbinate of the central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch.

In 2015, he received an MBA degree from TUW University.

For several years he was in charge of the Gan Israel camp in Tuscany.

Rabbi Lazar built an extensive network of Jewish websites in Italian and English.

Rivka grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from “Yeshiva Schools” high school for girls, continued to study at the Shoshana Institute seminary in Jerusalem and Long Island. She taught at the Hebrew School of the Valley Stream Chabad House in New York, and was a educational director at the Chabad House in Wayne, New Jersey.