Jewish community of Acqui Terme

The Jewish community of Acqui Terme was present in the town until the years before World War II.

The Jewish presence has been attested since the 16th century in two areas: in the alley of Calabraghe and near the Castle. In 1731, with the establishment of the ghetto, the Jews then resident in Acqui were forced to concentrate in two large buildings, still existing, at the Piazza della Fontana Bollente. In 1761 Jews were 239, to become more than 500 after the emancipation of 1848. The small oratory of the community in via Portici Saracco was then replaced by a large synagogue thanks to the financing of the Ottolenghi family.

However, the end of the ghetto also meant the decline of the Jewish community for a strong emigration to major centres in the region. The synagogue was dismantled after World War II and today only a memorial stone remains on the entrance. The ancient cemetery in via Romita is also still there.^[1]