Rabbi Gilberto Ventura leads a unique Jewish community in Catania, Sicily, made up mainly of Bnei Anusim (descendants of Jews who were forced to hide their religious practice during the Spanish Inquisition).

Italian Jews, in collaboration with IsraAID, have been providing assistance to the homeless victims of the earthquakes in central Italy that occurred in late August and October, resulting in nearly 300 deaths and leaving many without homes.