UCEI Information

The Union of the Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) is the body representing Italian Jews before the State and its institutions, both at national and international level. UCEI preserves Italian Jews’ traditions and their religious, social and cultural life; it coordinates and supports activities organised by each of the Jewish communities, which are Judaism’s traditional institutions in our country; it promotes the preservation and enhancement of the Jewish cultural heritage; it launches and develops platforms and its own means to share and communicate; it organises events aimed at spreading knowledge on Jewish culture, Holocaust remembrance, and the Jewish people’s history; it engages in interreligious dialogue through initiatives to support encounter and exchange of ideas with other faiths; it fosters relationships with the State of Israel and promotes the spread of knowledge on the State of Israel in Italy; it interacts with other countries’ Jewish communities and institutions, both at European and international level. The relationships between the State and the Union are regulated by Law No. 101 of 1989, based on the Agreement signed on 27th February 1987, as provided under Article 8 of the Italian Constitution. The overall running of UCEI is regulated by the Statute of Italian Judaism. Under the guidance of its President, UCEI fulfils its functions through the following bodies: the Committee, consisting of 9 members; the Council, composed of 52 representatives of the different communities; the Rabbinical Council; the Rabbinical Assembly; the Board of Arbitrators; the Secretary General. In Italy, the Agreement officially recognises 21 Jewish Communities, namely Ancona, Bologna, Casale Monferrato, Ferrara, Florence, Genoa, Leghorn, Mantua, Merano, Milan, Modena, Naples, Padua, Parma, Pisa, Rome, Turin, Trieste, Venice, Vercelli, Verona. All of the Communities are represented and protected, individually and as a whole, by the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities