Female charity models compared in the age of Jewish emancipation : the pious works of Rome and Turin

This work traces the historical story of some charities, operating in Rome and Turin between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, through the archival papers that have so far remained unexplored. Attention was paid to the female role, a decisive result in shaping the activity of these bodies. The exclusion of women from community life enshrined in tradition did not prevent a gradual reduction of the traditional separation of roles during the phase of emancipation of religious minorities. This aspect is related to the need often felt by the woman to contribute to the economic support of the family. The increase in poverty was also the engine of the initiative of the bourgeois women who were increasingly involved in philanthropic activities, therefore work dimension and charity activities were the privileged paths from which the female made its entry into the social dimension. The history of the institutions, reconstructed mainly through the Pinqasim, is part of a network system of charity that takes on particular significance in the phase following Jewish emancipation. The philanthropic model underlying the educational intervention incorporates the traditional concept of tzedakah, but also fulfills the crucial function of preserving the bond of cohesion between the internal members of the community. The history of the associations is a starting point for understanding the economic and social situation of the Roman and Turin universities and its complex relations with the external reality.