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Renaissance synagogues being restored in Venice's ghetto

Venice's Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th-century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through.

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Venice's ghetto dates from 1516, when the republic forced the growing numbers of Jews into the district where the old foundries, or "geti" as they were known, had been located. The area, which was locked down at night, became what is considered Europe's first ghetto and remains the hub of Venice's Jewish community in the Cannaregio area.