Today, Rome’s Jewish population counts some 15,000 people and a dozen Orthodox synagogues.
The liturgy of the largest and most ornate, Il Tempio Maggiore, follows the Orthodox Italki rite as practiced by Italian Jews since early Roman times. In fact, Jews have lived in Rome for more than 2,000 years, making it the oldest Jewish community in Europe. The first to arrive, in 161 B.C., were diplomatic envoys sent by the Maccabees to establish a treaty with the Roman Senate asking for its protection from persecution by the Seleucid Greeks. The Romans were delighted to help; they couldn’t wait for an excuse to get their hands on Greek territory.
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