The Jewish Holidays

Here are some brief descriptions of the major Jewish holidays, along with suggested menus using recipes in this book. Although Italian Jews continue to recognize many of these holidays, they are not celebrated today with the religious zeal and orthodoxy of the past. There are so few kosher food shops and so few Jewish neighborhoods, that the holiday celebrations are essentially invisible to outsiders. Getting ready for Passover still prompts a major housecleaning at the bakery on the Via Portico d’Ottavia in Rome, but life for the majority of Italian Jews has become highly secular.