Festa di sukkoth

On Sunday 12 October, another special feast awaits the Jewish Community of Casale Monferrato. It is Sukkot time, a moment which always attracts lots of people
and often brings the entire city into the courtyard ‘delle Api’ for a celebration
full of historical and symbolic meanings. The day is characterized by two elements: the first is the Sukkah, the tent which is built in an open space, with precise characteristics to remember the tents which the Jewish built in the desert, the second is the typical desserts offered to all guests and which have become a must in Casale.
Two exceptional cultural moments have also been planned for the occasion. At 4 p.m. the author Stella Bolaffi Benuzzi, who is very fond of the community of Casale, returns to Vicolo Salomone Oper where she has chosen to present every chapter of her literary production. She will speak to us about the last chapter, entitled “Oltre I limiti” (Belforte Editore), with Bruno Quaranta and Marco Cavallarin, Similar to other works by Stella Bolaffi, this is also played out on the edge of fiction, always with a nod to real life. Each page for her is the opportunity to measure herself with fervent intellectual freedom between adventure, familiar language and reflections of Jewish wisdom. After all, Stella Bolaffi Benuzzi’s own life has many facets: a degree in Ancient Literature and Philosophy, psychologist and psycho-analyst, already involved in the social sector (the most meaningful experiences include working for the psychiatric hospital of Varese and the Juvenile Court of Milan) and prolific writer. Her books include: “Giulio Bolaffi, Un partigiano ribelle” which tells the story of her father and the autobiographical “La balma delle streghe -L’eredità della mia infanzia tra leggi razziali e lotta partigiana” (Giuntina, 2013).
To follow, at 5 p.m. inauguration of the exhibition “Dimore di Luce - La contemporaneità dell’arte ebraica” with works by Alysson Feit, internationally renowned French architect and designer and curated by Ermanno Tedeschi. For the occasion, the artist and the curator will introduce us to a work in Jewish art presented for the first time in Italy. The works focus on Jewish letters and shapes, interpreted like vehicles of spirituality and beauty. Research which draws inspiration from blessings, in particular from the Birkat HaBayit – the traditional “Blessing of the Home”. This ancient Jewish text, often placed at the entrance of homes, invokes protection, peace and prosperity for those who live in the house and those who enter it. Not just images: each panel is an invocation. “Entering into Alysson’s works – explains Ermanno Tedeschi – is like crossing a special threshold, where the Jewish tradition meets the language of contemporary art. The Jewish letters transform into living forms, becoming lines, textures and geometries which inhabit space with strength and delicacy.
The exhibition will be open to visitors until 8 December 2025.
The inauguration will be followed by a snack under the Sukkah.
Free entry, for information phone 014271807 or write to www.casalebraica.org

15033 Casale Monferrato