Unlike other cities in the region of Apulia, there are now very few traces of the Jewish presence in Bari, although we know that the community was very developed. The city was, in the 12th century, a recognized center of Talmudic studies.

The Via della Sinagoga, which housed the place of worship of the community and is now renamed Via Sabino, attests to the importance of Jewish life in Bari.

In the Provincial Museum of the city, you can gaze at the steles of the Jewish cemetery which is located in the district of San Lorenzo. This cemetery probably dates back to the 8th century, and was therefore one of the oldest in the region.

Note that in 1943 a number of Jews from Italy and Yugoslavia found refuge in Bari. At the end of the Second World War, a refugee camp was established there. Then, after 1945, the surroundings of Bari were a point of “illegal” departure towards Palestine.

The Bari Tourist Office offers a guided tour of the city’s Jewish heritage.

Source : Jewish Virtual Library