The three ancient Jewish cemeteries visible today host world-renowned scholars, Talmudists and Kabbalists and can be visited with a guide from the Museum of Jewish Padua.
The city’s oldest Jewish Cemetery in use since the early 16th century is the one on Wiel Street. Among the many graves housed here is that of Meir Katzenellenbogen who was born in Prague in 1473 and died in Padua in 1565, author of “Responsa,” which illustrates the function of rabbis of the time as doctors of law, rather than an intermediary between the faithful and God.
The tomb of Rabbi Meir and his son Samuel is also located here: their burials still attract visits from all over the world, as evidenced by the small stones placed on his headstone. Not far away are sites of the Campagnola Street Cemetery, used by the Jewish community in the 8th century, and the Canal Street Cemetery, dating from the early 1800s, where for the first time tombstones appear not only in Hebrew but also in Italian.
Visiting the ancient cemeteries reveals the traditions and customs associated with mourning in Judaism, and acquaints visitors with the stories of illustrious Jews, doctors, master rabbis, and political figures who made fundamental contributions to the history of Padua.
