Lelio Cantoni
Rabbi Lelio Cantoni | |
|---|---|
| Title | Chief Rabbi |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1802 |
| Died | 18 January 1857 (aged 54–55) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Alma mater | Istituto Rabbinico at Padua |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Main work | Nuovo Ordinamento del Culto Israelitico nes Regi Stati |
| Other | Chief rabbi of Turin, advocate for Jewish emancipation and internal administration |
Lelio Cantoni (1802 – 18 January 1857) was an Italian rabbi who served as the chief rabbi of Turin from 1833 until his death.[1]
Early life and education
Lelio Cantoni was born in Gazzuolo, Duchy of Mantua. In 1829, he enrolled at the newly established Istituto Rabbinico at Padua, graduating as a rabbi in 1832. After completing his studies, he was commissioned by the government to draft statutes concerning Jewish communities.[2]
Career and death
In 1845, Cantoni formed the Committee of the Jewish Communities of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Piedmont, which gained him the support of Massimo d'Azeglio and Roberto d'Azeglio.[3]
In 1848 war broke out with Austria and Cantoni recruited among Turin's Jews and organized volunteers into three battalions of sharpshooters to fight for Piedmont-Sardinia.[4]
He advocated for the emancipation of Jews in the Kingdom of Sardinia which helped to bring it about in the Constitution of 1848, a development that later extended to united Italy. [2] Following the emancipation of Jews in the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1848, Cantoni worked on organizing the internal administration of Jewish religious matters. He published his Nuovo Ordinamento del Culto Israelitico ne' Registrati, in which he proposed the establishment of consistories by the government and outlined means of supporting them.[1]
Cantoni had contributed to Educatore Israelita and Archives Israélites.[2] He supported initiatives to establish asylums for children as well as contributing to the founding of schools and societies in Turin.[1] He had intended to create an organization which was to include Jewish communities and rabbis across Italy, however he died on 18 January 1857 in Turin[5][3] before this could be realised.[2]
References
- ^ a b c "CANTONI, LELIO - JewishEncyclopedia.com". www.jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
- ^ a b c d "Cantoni, Lelio - The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia -". StudyLight.org. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ a b "Cantoni, Lelio | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ Jews in the Army of the Kingdom of Italy
- ^ "Foreign Intelligence". The Israelite. March 20, 1857. p. 3. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Isidore Singer and Ismar Elbogen (1901–1906). "Cantoni, Lelio". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.