The Synod of the Italian Jewish Communities

Throughout the Middle Ages, representative councils (synods), which comprised rabbis and laypersons, met to discuss religious and communal matters and to issue takkanot (rulings) covering situations not discussed in the existing legal codes. The regulations issued were binding by communal consensus, thus strengthening communal leadership in the scattered Jewish communities. Beginning in the fifteenth century, the Jews of Italy formed regional and national organizations that met in various towns. These Italian synods discussed assorted topics and passed regulations concerning commerce, rabbinic authority, personal law, and legal issues. The 1554 synod, which met in Ferrara, included representatives from Mantua, Modena, Ravenna, and Rome, among others.