Nowadays the Gorizia Jewish Community is reduced to being a part of Trieste’s but it was once a thriving community in its own right.

Documents show Jews lived in Gorizia from the 16th century when the Morpurgo and Pincherle families ran money lending businesses. A ghetto was established in 1698.

The Community grew in numbers despite enforced residential segregation and the 256 people present in 1764 increased to 270 in 1788, and rose to 314 in 1850.

The Community mostly consisted of Ashkenazis from Germany and numbered several illustrious people including Carlo Michelstaedter (1887-1910) the philosopher, and Graziadio Isaia Ascoli (1829-1907) the glottologist among others.

Gorizia’s thriving Jewish Community was practically wiped out following deportation to the extermination camps between 1943 and 1944.

In spite of any signs of the Jewish presence having been virtually eliminated from the city, after WW2 the remains of the old ghetto were restored and the local synagogue salvaged.

The ancient Valdirose cemetery – now part of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) stands to bear witness of the presence of Gorizia’s Jewish Community.

The cemetery is thought to have been established in 1648 soon after Gorizia’s Jews moved to the ghetto.

In the late 17th century the ghetto burial land was moved from the ghetto close to the Corno Stream where the north eastern access to the city was. The current area dates back to 1881.

When the city was divided between Italy and the then Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) in 1947 and the border runs very close to the cemetery, on the side of Nova Gorica.