Because the Jews were abused less here than elsewhere, the city's Jewish population grew as Jews fled persecution elsewhere. Due to the international nature of the Jewish population, the ghetto supported eight different synagogues, each for a different nationality. We visited three on a tour, which was quite interesting and highly recommended. You have to wear a yamulke at each one, and Somchai was much more fascinated at one guy on the tour who kept stealing his yamulkes rather than returning them when leaving each synagogue. He was going to make a citizen's arrest, but I talked him out of it.

We visited the Jewish ghetto, which is actually the ghetto, the one who bequeathed its name to the rest of the world. Jews were moved to the island of Geto in the midst of Venice, which became a catch-all phrase for any ethnically based enclave. While all Jews had to live here, and the bridges were locked every night to prevent their movement, they were treated better here than in most places. They were free to move around during the day, practice most occupations, and weren't forced to attend church. Napoleon ended the ghettoization of the Jews in 1797, but the area stil remains the focal point of the remaining Jewish population.