The Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria (IjCCC) is an international organization based in Calabria, the southernmost region of Italy. Founded by Rabbi Barbara Aiello, whose Jewish ancestry includes B’nai Anusim (Italians whose ancestors were forced into adult baptism and Christian conversion during Inquisition times), is the founding director of the IjCCC, an organization dedicated to help those with Italian heritage determine if their family surnames indicate Italian Jewish roots.

Although the IjCCC does not establish a blood line, our staff initiates a search of Italian family surnames to determine a Jewish connection. Staff combs through ancient Inquisition records, searching for matches between family surnames and Jewish religious persecution. For example, in Rabbi Barbara’s family, the surname “GRANDE” is prominent.  Research determined that families named GRANDE, coming from the same towns and villages as Rabbi Aiello’s family members, were arrested and tortured for “judaizing” – practicing Judaism in secret.