Funeral services were held here today for Rabbi Leone Leoni, the former Chief Rabbi of Venice, who died this weekend at the age of 67.
Rabbi Leoni was appointed Venice’s Chief Rabbi in 1952, and served in that post until his retirement in 1962. Previously, he had served congregations in Ferrara, Italy, and, during the Nazi occupation of the area, was forced to go into hiding. While Chief Rabbi in Venice, Rabbi Leoni was friendly with the late Pope John XXIII, who was at that time the Catholic Patriarch of Venice.
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
