Apart from France, established Jewish populations exist in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland. With the original medieval populations wiped out by the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

and the pogroms that followed it, the current Dutch and Belgian communities originate in the Jewish expulsion from Spain and Portugal, while a Swiss community was only established after emancipation in 1874. However, the vast majority of the population in the Netherlands and a large proportion of the one in Belgium were murdered in the Holocaust, and much of the modern Jewish population of these countries (as well as of Switzerland) derives from post-Holocaust arrivals from other parts of Europe. Here is a list of some prominent Jews in western Europe, arranged by country of origin.

Austria

Belgium

* Natanel Yatziv, number one athlete in Belgium (Belgian born) * Charles Trau (born 2 August 2002) *

Chantal Akerman Chantal Anne Akerman (; 6 June 19505 October 2015) was a Belgian film director, screenwriter, artist, and Film studies, film professor at the City College of New York. She is best known for films such as ''Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 108 ...

(6 June 1950 – 5 October 2015), director-screenwriter * Zora Arkus-Duntov, father of the Chevrolet Corvette (Belgian-born) * Gérard Blitz, Olympic water polo medallist, co-founder of Club Med * Gérard Blitz, Olympic swimming and water polo medalist *

Maurice Blitz Maurice Blitz (28 July 1891 – 2 February 1975) was a Belgian Olympic water polo player during the 1920s. He was born in Paris. He was the older brother of sporting champion Gérard Blitz, and father of Gérard Blitz who founded Club ...

, Olympic water polo medalist *

Henri Cohen Henri Cohen may refer to: *Henri Cohen (composer) (1808–1880), French music theorist and composer *Henri Cohen (water polo) (died 1930), Belgian water polo athlete *Henri Cohen (number theorist) Henri Cohen (born 8 June 1947) is a number theor ...

, Olympic water polo medallist * François Englert, Nobel Prize laureate in theoretical physics *

Leopold Flam Leopold Flam (16 March 1912 – 29 September 1995) was a Belgian philosopher. Together with Alphonse De Waelhens, Chaïm Perelman and Rudolf Boehm, he was one of leading philosophers of Belgium from the 1960s until the 1980s. Born in Antwer ...

, philosopher *

Louis Frank Louis Franck or Frank may refer to: * Louis Franck (politician), Belgian politician * Louis Franck (ice hockey), Belgian ice hockey player * Louis Franck, frontman of Ukrainian band Esthetic Education * Louis Frank (lawyer) Louis Frank (Brussel ...

, politician *

Diane von Fürstenberg Diane von Fürstenberg (born Diane Simone Michele Halfin, 31 December 1946) is a Belgian fashion designer best known for her wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence in 1969 when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg, as ...

, fashion designer * Jean Gol, politician *

Nico Gunzburg Nico Gunzburg (2 September 1882, Riga, Russian Empire – 5 March 1984, Antwerp, Belgium) was a Belgian lawyer, criminologist and centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldw ...

, professor * Asriel Günzig, rabbi * Camille Gutt, finance minister; head of the International Monetary Fund * Paul Hymans, liberal leader; president of the League of Nations *

René Kalisky René Kalisky (; born Kaliski, ; 20 July 1936 – 6 May 1981) was a Belgian writer of Polish-Jewish descent who is best known for the plays he wrote in the last 12 years of his life. Kalisky, whose father, Abraham Kaliski was killed at Auschwitz, ...

, writer *

Julien Klener Julien Klener is a Belgian linguist born in Ostend, Belgium in 1939. Life During World War II he was a hidden child in Brussels. Since 1945, being back in Ostend, he went to primary and secondary school and later on studied Germanic languages (BA ...

, linguist * George Koltanowski, chess player * Claude Lévi-Strauss, anthropologist (Belgian-born; atheist of Jewish descent) * Alfred Loewenstein, financier (Jewish mother) * Ernest Mandel, marxist theorist * Bob Mendes, writer (Jewish father) * Ralph Miliband, political scientist *

Jacques Ochs Jacques Ochs (18 February 1883 – 3 April 1971), was a Jewish Belgian artist and Olympic fencer in the épée style (in which he was champion) and competed in the saber, and foil fencing categories. Biography Ochs was Jewish, and was bor ...

, Olympic fencing medalist * Chaïm Perelman, philosopher (Polish-born) * Ilya Prigogine, chemist (Russian-born), Nobel Prize (1977) * Gaston Salmon, Olympic fencing medalist * Henry Spira, animal rights activist * Elias M. Stein, mathematician (Belgian-born) * Marc Schlomo Jizchak Stern, Orthodox rabbi, cantor (de) * Gilbert Stork, chemist * Olivier Strelli, fashion designer *

Samy Szlingerbaum Samy Szlingerbaum (1950–1986) was a Belgian screenwriter, actor and film director. Szlingerbaum began his career as a director by co-directing the 1973 film ''Le 15/8'' with Chantal Akerman. Then in 1980 he wrote and directed ''Brussels T ...

, film director, writer, and actor *

Guy Lee Thys Guy Lee Thys (born 20 October 1952) is a Belgian film producer, director, and screenwriter. In 1981 Guy Lee Thys, whose nickname in the Belgian media is "''enfant terrible'' of Flemish Cinema", established ''Skyline Films'', renamed ''Fact & Fic ...

, film director (Jewish mother) *

Raymond van het Groenewoud Raymond van het Groenewoud (born 14 February 1950) is a Belgian musician. He was born in Schaerbeek, of Dutch descent, and he sings primarily in Dutch. His biggest hits include "Vlaanderen Boven", "Meisjes", "Je Veux de l'Amour", "Zjoske Schone M ...

, singer-songwriter (Jewish mother) *

Sandra Wasserman Sandra Wasserman (born 10 March 1970) is a former professional tennis player from Antwerp, Belgium. Fed Cup Wasserman became Belgium's youngest Fed Cup player when she lost to Csilla Bartos of Hungary in October 1985 in Japan. She also lost th ...

, tennis player

France

Ireland

Italy

Political figures

* Alessandro d'Ancona (1835–1914), Senator and mayor of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

(1906–1907) * Graziadio Isaia Ascoli (1829–1907), linguist and Senator (1886–1890) *

Luca Barbareschi Luca Barbareschi (born 28 July 1956 in Montevideo) is an Italian-Uruguayan actor, television presenter, and former member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. Barbareschi is Jewish. He was one of four actors whom the Italian police believed ha ...

(born in 1956), actor, director and former member of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

(2008–2013) *

Emanuele Fiano Emanuele (Lele) Fiano (born 13 March 1963, in Milan, Italy) is a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies for the centre-left Partito Democratico (Democratic Party of Italy). A prominent figure in the Italian Jewish community, Fiano is a pas ...

(born 1963), member of the

since 2006 * Giovanni Cantoni (1818–1897), physicist, member of the

(1867–1874) and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

(1876–1880) *

Furio Colombo Furio Colombo (born 1 January 1931) is an Italian journalist and politician, former editor-in-chief of ''L'Unità''. Biography Journalistic and academic career Colombo was born in Châtillon, Aosta Valley in a Jewish family. In the mid-1950 ...

(born in 1931), journalist, member of the

(1996–2001, 2008–2013) and

(2006–2008) * Luigi Cremona (1830–1903), mathematician,

(1879–1903) and Minister of Public Education (1898–1899) *

Giuliano Ferrara Giuliano Ferrara (born 7 January 1952) is an Italian politician, journalist, founding editor of ''Il Foglio'', and TV presenter. Life and career Ferrara came from a family of Communism, Communists: his father Maurizio was a communist senator. Ferr ...

, (born in 1952), Minister for Parliamentary Relations (1994–1995), member of European Parliament (1989–1994), journalist and founder of Il Foglio * Aldo Finzi (1891–1944), fascist member of the

(1921–1929) *

Giuseppe Finzi Giuseppe Finzi ( Rivarolo Mantovano 17 February 1815 - Mantua 7 June 1886) was a patriot and Italian politician. Biography Finzi was born in 1815 in Rivarolo Mantovano by Abraham and Rosa Finzi, both Jewish family . He was already a student at ...

(1815–1886), patriot and

(1860–1886) * Vittorio Foa (1910–2008), socialist trade unionist *

Alessandro Fortis Alessandro Fortis (16 September 1842 – 4 December 1909) was an Italian politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Italy from 1905 to 1906. Early career Fortis was born in Forlì, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and became a lawyer. A repu ...

(1842–1909), Italian Prime Minister (1905–1906) * Augusto Graziani (1933–2014), economist and

(1992–1994) * Yoram Gutgeld (born 1959), economist and former member of

(2013–2018) * Anna Kuliscioff (1857–1925), Russian-born revolutionary feminist * Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012), scientist and

(2001–2012) * David Levi (1816–1898), poet, patriot and

(1861–1880) * Luigi Luzzatti (1841–1927), Italian Prime Minister (1910–1911) * Ernesto Nathan (1848–1921), mayor of Rome (1907–1913) * Margherita Sarfatti (1880–1961), journalist and mistress of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

* Liliana Segre (born 1930), holocaust survivor and

Senator for life A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , six Italian senators out of 206, two out of the 41 Burundian senators, one Congolese senator out of 109, and all members of the Bri ...

since 2018 * Sidney Sonnino (1847–1922), Italian prime minister (1906, 1909–1910) * Umberto Terracini (1895–1983), President of the Constituent Assembly of Italy (1946–1948),

(1948–1983) * Claudio Treves (1869–1933), politician and writer, grandfather of Carlo Levi * Leone Wollemborg (1859–1932), politician and former Minister of Economy

Religious and communal leaders

* Samuel Aboab (1610–1694), prominent rabbi *

Aaron ben Gershon abu Al-Rabi Aaron ben Gershon Abu Al-Rabi of Catania (also Aaron ben Gershon Abualrabi, Aaron Alrabi; Italian language, Italian: ''Aronne Abulrabi'') was a History of the Jews in Sicily, Sicilian-Jewish scholar, cabalist, and astrologer of the 15th century. L ...

or Aronne Abulrabi of

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

(ca. 1400–1450), rabbinic scholar, cabalist and astrologer; called also Aldabi or Alrabi, Aaron was "the first Jew in the history to be invited during a Pontificate to discuss freely and without censorship about religious subjects and papal perplexities;

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

welcomed him in Rome *

Barbara Aiello Rabbi Barbara Aiello is the first female rabbi in Italy, as well as Italy's first non-Orthodox rabbi. She was born in Pittsburgh to a family of Italian Jewish origin and was ordained at the Rabbinical Seminary International in New York at the age ...

, American-born rabbi active in Italy *

Benjamin Artom Rabbi Benjamin Artom (1835–1879) was the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Great Britain. He was born in Asti, Piedmont, in the Kingdom of Sardinia. Biography He was the first person to hold the post of rabbi of Naples Naples ...

(1835–1879),

Haham ''Hakham'' (or ''chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i)''; he, חכם ', "wise") is a term in Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He ...

of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Great Britain * Umberto Cassuto (1883–1951), rabbi * Abraham Isaac Castello (1726–1789), rabbi * Leone Ebreo (1465–1523), Neoplatonic philosopher * Amos Luzzatto (1928–2020), writer and former president of the Italian Jewish Communities Union * Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707–1746), rabbi, scholar, mystic, also known as Ramchal * Samuel David Luzzatto (1800–1865), important rabbi and scholar, also known as Shadal * Raphael Meldola (1754–1828), rabbi * David Nieto (1654–1728), rabbi * Riccardo Pacifici (1904–1943), rabbi, murdered in

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

* Joseph Pardo (1561–1619), rabbi * Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno (1475–1550), rabbi, philosopher * Elio Toaff (1915–2015), rabbi and former Chief of Italian Jews Community *

Isaiah di Trani Isaiah di Trani ben Mali (the Elder) (c. 1180 – c. 1250) (), better known as the RID, was a prominent Italian Talmudist. Biography Isaiah originated in Trani, an ancient settlement of Jewish scholarship, and lived probably in Venice. He ...

(ca. 1180–1250), talmudist, rabbi, also known as RID

Academics

* Pedigree of Azzopardi * Faraj ben Salim, Sicilian physician and translator from Agrigento * Mosé Bonavoglia de' Medici, or Bonavoglio de' Medici (died 1447), Sicilian physician from

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

and ''Dienchelele'' (''Naggid'' or ''Dayan kelali'' = ''Universal Judge of Sicilian Jews''); his Hebrew name was Moses Hefez * Michele Besso (1873–1955), Swiss-born engineer * Caecilius of Calacte, Sicilian rhetorician from modern Caronìa * Laura Capón (1907–1977), physicist * Enrico Castelnuovo, art historian and medievalist * Gino Fano (1871–1952), mathematician * Robert Fano (1917–2016), physicist * Ugo Fano (1912–2001), physicist * Carlo Ginzburg (born 1939), historian *

Giovanni Jona-Lasinio Giovanni Jona-Lasinio (born 1932), sometimes called Gianni Jona, is an Italian theoretical physicist, best known for his works on quantum field theory and statistical mechanics. He pioneered research concerning spontaneous symmetry breaking, and ...

(born 1932), physicist (Jewish father) *

Alberto Jori Alberto Jori (born 1965) is an Italian neo-Aristotelian philosopher. Born in Mantua, on his father's side he is the descendant of an old noble Swiss family of barons (Freiherren) from Ticino and patricians from Zurich. On his mother's side he is ...

(born 1965), philosopher (Jewish mother) * Giorgio Levi Della Vida (1886–1961), linguist specialized in Semitic languages * Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012), neurologist, Nobel Prize (1986) *

Cesare Lombroso Cesare Lombroso (, also ; ; born Ezechia Marco Lombroso; 6 November 1835 – 19 October 1909) was an Italian criminologist, phrenologist, physician, and founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology. Lombroso rejected the establis ...

(1835–1909), criminologist * Salvador Luria (1912–1991), microbiologist, Nobel Prize (1969) * Samuel David Luzzatto (1800–1865), scholar and poet * Franco Modigliani (1918–2003), economist, Nobel Prize (1985) * Arnaldo Momigliano (1908–1987), Italian-born historian * Bruno Pontecorvo (1913–1993), physicist * Guido Pontecorvo (1907–1999), geneticist * Giulio Racah (1909–1965), physicist *

Bruno Rossi Bruno Benedetto Rossi (; ; 13 April 1905 – 21 November 1993) was an Italian experimental physicist. He made major contributions to particle physics and the study of cosmic rays. A 1927 graduate of the University of Bologna, he became in ...

(1905–1993), astrophysicist * Asher Salah (born 1967), historian * Cesare Segre (1928–2014), linguistics, semiotics * Emilio Segrè (1905–1989), physicist, Nobel Prize (1959) * pedigree of

Sforno Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Obadja Sforno, Hebrew: עובדיה ספורנו) was an Italian rabbi, Jewish commentaries on the Bible, Biblical commentator, philosopher and physician. A member of the Sforno (family), Sforno family, he was born in Ce ...

Piero Sraffa Piero Sraffa (5 August 1898 – 3 September 1983) was an influential Italian economist who served as lecturer of economics at the University of Cambridge. His book ''Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities'' is taken as founding the neo- ...

(1898–1983), economist * Manfredo Tafuri (1935–1994), architectural historian, critic and theorist *

Ariel Toaff Ariel Toaff (born 1942) is a professor of Medieval and Renaissance History at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, whose work has focused on Jews and their history in Italy. He came to international prominence with the 2007 publication of the first edi ...

(born 1942), historian * Andrew Viterbi (born 1935), inventor of the Viterbi algorithm * Bruno Zevi (1918–2000), architectural critic and historian

Mathematicians

Emilio Artom Emilio Artom (9 November 1888 – 11 December 1952) was a Jewish Italian mathematician who was born and died in Torino. For two years he was assistant to Federigo Enriques in Bologna and subsequently became a high-school teacher. Biography He was ...

(1888–1952), mathematician * Eugenio Calabi (born 1923), mathematician * Guido Castelnuovo (1865–1952), mathematician * Federigo Enriques (1871–1946), mathematician * Gino Fano (1871–1952), mathematician * Guido Fubini (1879–1943), mathematician * Beppo Levi (1875–1961), mathematician * Tullio Levi-Civita (1873–1941), mathematician * Beniamino Segre (1903–1977), mathematician * Corrado Segre (1863–1924), mathematician * Vito Volterra (1860–1940), mathematician

Musicians

* Mario Ancona (1860–1931), baritone *

Abramo Basevi Abramo Basevi (December 1818 – November 1885) was an Italian musicologist and composer. Basevi was born in Livorno. He began as a physician in Florence (1858) but then devoted himself exclusively to music. His first attempts as a composer fail ...

(1818–1885), composer and musician *

Alvise Bassano Louis is the French form of the Old Frankish given name Chlodowig and one of two English forms, the other being Lewis (). Etymology The name Louis (through the intermediate form Clovis) derives from the Frankish name ᚺᛚᛟᛞᛟᚹᛁᚷ ...

, musician *

Anthony Bassano Anthony Bassano was a 16th-century Italian musician. Bassano, born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, was one of six sons of Jeronimo Bassano (Anthony, Jacomo, Alvise, Jasper, John and Baptista) who moved from Venice to England to the household of Hen ...

, musician *

Baptista Bassano Baptista is a Portuguese surname. People with this name include: *Alba Baptista (born 1997) *Alexandre Baptista (born 1941), Portuguese footballer *Ana Filipa Baptista (born 1990), Portuguese chess player *António Maria Baptista (1866–1920), ...

, musician * Jeronimo Bassano, musician * Haim Cipriani (born 1961), violinist and reform rabbi * Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895–1968), guitar, classical and

synagogal music Origin of Jewish music in the Temple The earliest synagogal music was based on the same system as that used in the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, Joshua ben Hananiah, who had served in the sanctuary Levitical choir, told how ...

composer * Giacobbe Cervetto (1680–1783), cellist and composer * Lorenzo Da Ponte (born Emanuele Conegliano, 1749–1838), opera librettist (born Jewish, raised Catholic) * Abramo dall'Arpa (died 1566), harpist * Abramino dall'Arpa (fl ca. 1577–1593), harpist * Aldo Finzi (1897–1945), composer *

Obadiah the Proselyte Obadiah the Proselyte (Hebrew: ) was an early-12th-century Italian convert to Judaism. He is best known for his memoirs and the oldest surviving notation of Jewish music, both unique survivals. He was born Johannes, son of Dreux, around 1070 in Op ...

, musician * Salamone Rossi (ca. 1570–1630), baroque composer * Victor de Sabata (1892–1967), conductor (Jewish mother) *

Leone Sinigaglia Leone Sinigaglia (14 August 1868 – 16 May 1944) was an Italian composer and mountaineer. Biography Born in Turin into an upper-middle-class Jewish family, Sinigaglia studied music at the conservatory of music in Turin with Giovanni Bolzon ...

(1868–1944), composer

Writers

* Devorà Ascarelli, poet and translator * Giorgio Bassani, author *

Angela Bianchini Angela Bianchini (; 21 April 1921 – 27 October 2018) was an Italian fiction writer and literary critic of Jewish descent. She grew up in Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1941, after Mussolini's openly anti-Semitic racial laws were en ...

, fiction writer * Riccardo Calimani, fiction writer and historian * Enrico Castelnuovo, father of Guido * Moses Chayyim Catalan, poet * Lorenzo Da Ponte (born Emanuele Conegliano), opera librettist (born Jewish, raised Catholic) * Leonardo de Benedetti, physician and writer *

Manuela Dviri Manuela Dviri Vitali Norsa (born 1949 in Padua, Italy), is an Israeli Journalist, Peace activist and Author, who lives in Tel Aviv, Israel and in Virgoletta, a small town in Tuscany, Italy. Biography She moved to Israel in 1968 after her marria ...

, writer *

Alain Elkann Alain Elkann (born March 23, 1950) is an Italian novelist, journalist. Currently, Elkann is the conductor of cultural programs on Italian television. He is president of the Scientific Committee of the Italy–USA Foundation. A recurring theme in ...

, writer and journalist, father of John, Lapo and Ginevra * Carlo Ginzburg, historian, writer, essayist and pioneer of microhistory * Leone Ginzburg, writer (born in Ukraine) *

Natalia Ginzburg Natalia Ginzburg (, ; ; 14 July 1916 – 7 October 1991) was an Italian author whose work explored family relationships, politics during and after the Fascist years and World War II, and philosophy. She wrote novels, short stories and essays, fo ...

(born Levi), author (Jewish father), wife of Leone and mother of Carlo *

Arrigo Levi Arrigo Levi (17 July 1926 – 24 August 2020) was an Italian journalist, essayist, and television anchorman. Life Exile to Argentina Levi was from a family of Jewish descent (his father Enzo was a renowned lawyer in Modena). In 1938, when he ...

, writer, journalist and TV anchorman * Carlo Levi, writer, painter and physician * Primo Levi, chemist and author *

Carlo Michelstaedter Carlo Raimondo Michelstaedter or Michelstädter (3 June 1887 – 17 October 1910) was an Italian philosopher, artist, and man of letters. Life Carlo Michelstaedter was born in Gorizia, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian County of Gorizia and ...

, philosopher *

Lisa Morpurgo Lisa Morpurgo Dordoni (19 May 1923 in Soncino ( CR) – 9 May 1998 in Milan) was a writer and astrologer. Biography Lisa Morpurgo gained a degree in literature at the Università Statale di Milano presenting a thesis on Maurice Barrèsbr>(thesi ...

Dordoni, writer, astrologer * Paolo Mieli, journalist, historian and director of

Corriere della Sera The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015. First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...

* Liana Millu, writer * Alberto Moravia (born Pincherle), author (Jewish father) * Laura Orvieto, writer *

Alessandro Piperno Alessandro Piperno (born 25 March 1972 in Rome) is an Italian writer and literary critic of Jewish descent, having a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. He graduated in French Literature at the University of Rome, where he currently teaches and ...

, writer * Umberto Saba, poet (Jewish mother) *

Donato Sacerdote Donato Sacerdote (, 1820–1883) was an Italian and Jewish poet. Life Sacerdote was born at Fossano in 1820. He died there on 27 November 1883. Passionately devoted to the classics, Sacerdote from his early youth applied himself to the comparative ...

, poet *

Rubino Romeo Salmonì Rubino Romeo Salmonì (22 January 1920 – 10 July 2011) was an Italian author known for his book ''In the End, I Beat Hitler'', based on his experiences as a survivor of Auschwitz II–Birkenau during the Holocaust. Biography An Italian Jew, Sal ...

, writer * Roberto Saviano, writer, journalist (Jewish mother) *

Clara Sereni Clara Sereni (28 August 1946 – 25 July 2018) was an Italian writer of Jewish descent. She was born and married in Rome where she remained until 1991. Then she moved to Perugia. She became known to critics and the public with her first book, ...

, writer * Italo Svevo (born Schmitz), author *

Humbert Wolfe Humbert Wolfe CB CBE (5 January 1885 – 5 January 1940) was an Italian-born British poet, man of letters and civil servant. Biography Humbert Wolfe was born in Milan, Italy, and came from a Jewish family background,"Wolfe, Humbert" in Stanley ...

, poet and civil servant * Aldo Zargani, writer

Artists

* Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, actress * Vito D'Ancona, painter * Cristiana Capotondi, actress (half Jewish) * Gioele Dix (b. Davide Ottolenghi), actor and comedian * Ginevra Elkann, film director, sister of John and Lapo * Arnoldo Foà, actor * Massimiliano Fuksas, architect (Jewish father) * Vittorio Gassman, actor (Jewish mother) *

Alessandro Haber Alessandro Haber (born 19 January 1947) is an italian people, Italian actor, film director and singer. Haber was born in Bologna in a Italian Jews, Jewish family of mixed ancestry (his father was a Romanian Jew and his mother Italian) and spent ...

, actor * Carlo Levi, writer, painter and physician *

Leo Lionni Leo Lionni (May 5, 1910 – October 11, 1999) was an Italian-American writer and illustrator of children's books. Born in the Netherlands, he moved to Italy and lived there before moving to the United States in 1939, where he worked as an art dire ...

* Emanuele Luzzati, painter * Anna Magnani, actress (Jewish mother) *

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (, ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern style characterized by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and ...

, painter and sculptor * Ernesto Nathan Rogers, architect, critic and editor * Moni Ovadia, theatre figure * Gillo Pontecorvo, director *

Xenia Rappoport Kseniya Aleksandrovna Rappoport (russian: link=no, Ксе́ния Алекса́ндровна Раппопо́рт; born 25 March 1974) is a Russian actress. She graduated in 2000 from Saint Petersburg Academy of Theatrical Arts and was immedi ...

, actress * Bruno Zevi, architect

Business

* Carlo De Benedetti (born 1934), industrialist, ex-CEO of

FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

, Olivetti,

CIR Group CIR Group (''Compagnie Industriali Riunite'') is an Italian holding company listed on the stock exchange which is 46% controlled by COFIDE of the De Benedetti family. The company was founded in 1976, when Carlo De Benedetti acquired the company Co ...

, ex-deputy chairman of Banco Ambrosiano and ex-president of Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso * John (born 1976) and

Lapo Elkann Lapo Edovard Elkann (born 7 October 1977) is an Italian businessman, philanthropist and grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the former controlling CEO and controlling shareholder of Fiat Automobiles. Background A member of the Agnelli family, Elkann was ...

(born 1977), Vice Chairman of

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

(Jewish father) *

Adriano Goldschmied Adriano Goldschmied is an Italian fashion designer who focuses on denim jeans. He is known as "the Godfather of denim" and is the originator of "premium denim". The founder of Diesel, he also created Replay, Gap 1969, Agolde, Goldsign, and AG A ...

(born 1944), fashion designer known as the "godfather of denim" who created Diesel, Replay, and AG Adriano Goldschmied; currently directing Goldsign and men's Citizens of Humanity *

Moses Haim Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...

(1784–1885), financier and philanthropist *

Adriano Olivetti Adriano Olivetti (11 April 1901 – 27 February 1960) was an Italian engineer, politician, and industrialist whose entrepreneurial activity thrived on the idea that profit should be reinvested for the benefits of the whole society. He was son of ...

(1901–1960), son of Camillo, industrialist and social activist * Camillo Olivetti (1868–1943), founder of Olivetti typewriters *

Guy Spier Guy Spier (born February 4, 1966) is a Zurich-based investor. He is the author of ''The Education of a Value Investor''. Spier is the manager of the Aquamarine Fund with $350 million in assets. He is well known for bidding US$650,100 with Mohni ...

(born 1966), author and investor

Other

* Eugenio Calò (1906–1944), Jewish partisan awarded the gold medal for military valour, murdered by the Nazis * Angelo Donati (1885–1960), banker who protected Jews in Southern France during Italian occupation in 1942–43 * Mario Finzi (1913–1945), partisan (murdered in

in 1945) * Camila Giorgi (born 1991), tennis player *

Riccardo Ehrman Riccardo Ehrman (4 November 1929 – 14 December 2021) was an Italian journalist whose question at a government press conference in the former East Germany is said to have precipitated the fall of the Berlin Wall. Early life Ehrman was born on ...

(1929–2021), journalist *

Gad Lerner Gad Eitan Lerner ( he, גד איתן לרנר; born 7 December 1954) is an Italian journalist, writer and TV presenter. Career In 2000, Lerner served as director of news broadcasts TG1 for Rai 1 but resigned after a selection of pornographi ...

(born 1954), TV anchorman and journalist * Gillo Pontecorvo (1919–2006), filmmaker * Giorgio Liuzzi (1895–1983), Chief of the Staff of the Italian Army from 1954 to 1959 *

Renato Mannheimer Renato Mannheimer is an Italian pollster and professor of sociology at the University of Milano-Bicocca. He has published in academic journals, and is a consultant to the daily Italian newspaper '' Corriere della Sera'' and to the Italian public ...

(born 1947), pollster, president of IPSO *

Maurizio Molinari Maurizio Molinari (born 28 October 1964 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist, as of April 2020 Editor in Chief of the daily ''la Repubblica'', after serving five years as editor in chief of la La Stampa. Education and early career Molinari ...

(born 1964), journalist and essayist * Edgardo Mortara (1851–1940), boy kidnapped by Catholic Papal authorities *

Fiamma Nirenstein Fiamma Nirenstein (born 18 December 1945 in Florence) is an Italian-Israeli journalist, author and politician. In 2008 she was elected to the Italian Parliament for Silvio Berlusconi's The People of Freedom party and she served as Vice President o ...

(born 1945), essayist, journalist and MP for

PDL PDL is an initialism for: Politics *Democratic Liberal Party (Romania), Democratic Liberal Party (''Partidul Democrat Liberal''), a former political party in Romania *Labour Democratic Party (''Partito Democratico del Lavoro''), a former politi ...

(elected in 2008) * Enzo Sereni (1905–1944), Zionist and partisan, executed in

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

Luxembourg

* Hugo Gernsback, science-fiction pioneer (unconfirmed) * Emil Hirsch, reform rabbi * Gabriel Lippmann, French physicist (Luxembourg-born) * Arno Joseph Mayer, historian

Monaco

Franz Schreker Franz Schreker (originally ''Schrecker''; 23 March 1878 – 21 March 1934) was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality (a mixture ...

, composer (Jewish father)

Netherlands

Scotland

Spain and Portugal

Switzerland

* Maurice Abravanel, conductor *

Jeff Agoos Jeffrey Alan Agoos (born May 2, 1968) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos served as the Sporting Director for the N ...

, US soccer international *

Ernest Bloch Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As well as producing music ...

, composer * Felix Bloch, physicist, Nobel Prize (1952) * Alain de Botton, writer * Albert Cohen, novelist * Arthur Cohn, film producer * Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss president (1999) * Camille and

Henri Dreyfus Henri Dreyfus (or Henry Dreyfus, 7 January 1882 – 30 December 1944) was a Swiss inventor of the modern weaving loom. He and his brother Camille Dreyfus also invented Celanese, an acetate yarn. Early years Henri Dreyfus was born in 1882, into ...

, inventors of Celanese *

Al Dubin Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren. Life Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that emigrated to the United States from Swi ...

, lyricist * Jean Dunand-Gotscho, sculptor, painter, lacquerer * Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel Prize (1921) *

Edmond Fischer Edmond Henri Fischer (April 6, 1920 – August 27, 2021) was a Swiss-American biochemist. He and his collaborator Edwin G. Krebs were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1992 for describing how reversible phosphorylation works ...

, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1992) (Jewish father) *

Robert Frank Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019) was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled ''The Americans'', earned Frank comparisons to a modern-da ...

, photographer *

Meyer Guggenheim Meyer Guggenheim ( , ; February 1, 1828 – March 15, 1905) was the patriarch of what became known as the Guggenheim family in the United States, which became one of the world's wealthiest families during the 19th century, and remained so during t ...

, businessman *

Jeanne Hersch Jeanne Hersch (13 July 1910 – 5 June 2000) was a Swiss philosopher of Polish-Jewish origin, whose works dealt with the concept of freedom. She was the daughter of Liebman Hersch. Education and career Hersch was born in 1910 in Geneva, Sw ...

, philosopher *

Frank Key Paul Byrne (29 January 1959 – 13 September 2019), who used the pseudonym Frank Key, was a British writer, illustrator, blogger and broadcaster best known for his self-published short-story collections and his long-running radio series ''Hooting ...

, writer * Mathilde Krim, AIDS researcher (convert) * Dani Levy (born 1957), filmmaker, theatrical director and actor * Rolf Liebermann, Swiss music administrator and composer *

Méret Oppenheim Meret (or Méret) Elisabeth Oppenheim (6 October 1913 – 15 November 1985) was a German-born Swiss Surrealist artist and photographer. Early life Meret Oppenheim was born on 6 October 1913 in Berlin. She was named after Meretlein, a wild c ...

, surrealist artist * Rachel, stage actress (Swiss-born) * Tadeusz Reichstein, chemist, Nobel Prize (1950) * Tibor Rosenbaum, rabbi and businessman * Edmond Safra, banker * Jean Starobinski, literary critic * Sigismond Thalberg, pianist and composer * Regina Ullmann, poet * Charles Weissmann, biochemist * Alain and

Gérard Wertheimer Gérard Paul Philippe Wertheimer (born 17 April 1951) is a French billionaire businessman based in New York City and Geneva, who owns Chanel in partnership with his brother, Alain. As of October 2022, Wertheimer's net worth was estimated at US$ ...

, owners of

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

L'ENTREPRISE PRÉFÉRÉE DU GRAND PUBLIC. Chanel, le luxe et le secret
/ref>

United Kingdom

Politicians

* John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons * Leon Brittan, Conservative Member of Parliament and Home Secretary *

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

, British Conservative Prime Minister; converted to Anglicanism at age 12 *

Greville Janner Greville Ewan Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone, (11 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was a British politician, barrister and writer. He became a Labour Party Member of Parliament for Leicester in the 1970 general election as a last-minute ...

, Labour Member of Parliament * Tim Judah, journalist and historian * Peter Mandelson, Labour Member of Parliament *

David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member of P ...

, politician, Labour Party (UK) * Ed Miliband (2005–present), Labour MP for Doncaster North and former Leader of the Labour party *

Charlotte Nichols Charlotte Louise Nichols (born 5 April 1991) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Warrington North since the 2019 general election. Prior to her political career, she worked as a trade union official. ...

(2019–present) Labour MP for

Warrington North Warrington North is a United Kingdom constituencies, parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2019 by Charlotte Nichols of the Labour Pa ...

Andrew Percy Andrew Theakstone Percy (born 18 September 1977) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brigg and Goole since 2010. He is an active member of many groups in Parliament, including All Part ...

(2010–present), Conservative MP for

Brigg and Goole Brigg and Goole is a constituency in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Andrew Percy, a Conservative. The constituency is among a small minority of constituencies that span two ...

* Lucy Frazer (2015–present), Conservative MP for South East Cambridgeshire * Ruth Smeeth (2015–2019), Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North *

Alex Sobel Alexander David Sobel (born 26 April 1975) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds North West since the 2017 general election. He defeated the Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland, wh ...

(2017–present), Labour MP for

Leeds North West Leeds North West is a constituency in the City of Leeds which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Alex Sobel, of Labour Co-op. Boundaries 1950–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Far He ...

* Nicola Richards (2019–present), Conservative MP for

West Bromwich East West Bromwich East is a constituency that is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Nicola Richards of the Conservative Party, who was first elected at the 2019 United Kingdom general election. Members of Parliament ...

* Ian Levy (2019–present), Conservative MP for

Blyth Valley Blyth Valley was a local government district and borough in south-east Northumberland, England, bordering the North Sea and Tyne and Wear. The two principal towns were Blyth and Cramlington. Other population centres include Seaton Delaval, and ...

* Dominic Raab (2010–present) Conservative MP for Esher and Walton

Actors

* Tamsin Greig, actress and comedian * Tom Rosenthal, actor, comedian and writer * Georgia Slowe, actress * Sophie Okonedo, actress and singer * Paul Kaye, actor and comedian * Jason Isaacs, actor * Helena Bonham Carter, actress * David Baddiel, actor, comedian, writer and novelist * Rachel Weisz, actress * Matt Lucas, actor, comedian and writer * James Callis, actor * Sacha Baron Cohen, actor, comedian, writer, director and film producer * Edward Skrein, actor, rapper, film director and screenwriter * Daniel Radcliffe, actor and producer * Julian Morris, actor *

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Aaron Perry Taylor-Johnson (né Johnson; born 13 June 1990) is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in '' Kick-Ass'' (2010) and its 2013 sequel, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character Pietro Ma ...

, actor and screenwriter * Gregg Sulkin, actor * Isobel Powley, actress

Religious and communal leaders

Elyakim Schlesinger Elyakim Schlesinger ( yi, אליקים שלעזינגער) born September 1921) of London is a rabbi and rosh yeshiva. He is an international authority and serves as the President, Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, i ...

, rabbi * Danny Rich, Liberal rabbi * Alexandra Wright, Liberal rabbi * Isidor Grunfeld,

Orthodox rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

* Miriam Berger,

Reform rabbi Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

Other

* Jacob Rothschild, banker

Notes

Of the 12 members of the 1928 Olympics Dutch Women's Gymnastics Teamthe first ever women's gymnastics gold medalistsfive were Jewish. All but Levie were murdered in the Holocaust.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:West European Jews Lists of Jews Jews,West European

Austria

Belgium

France

Ireland

Italy

Political figures

Religious and communal leaders

Academics

Mathematicians

Musicians

Writers

Artists

Business

Other

Luxembourg

Monaco

Netherlands

Scotland

Spain and Portugal

Switzerland

United Kingdom

Politicians

Actors

Religious and communal leaders

Other

See also

Notes

Footnotes