Communities > Plague in Padua
![Olam hafukh: ṿe-hu sipur ha-magefah asher neheytah be-yamaṿ be-geṭo Padova be-shnat 5391 [1631]. Title page.](https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/files/original/efaeaf8c9f5c113503468a761e4db960.jpg)
CATALANO, ABRAHAM (d. 1642).
Olam hafukh ṿe-hu sipur ha-magefah asher neheytah be-yamaṿ be-geṭo Padova be-shnat 5391.
Manuscript in Hebrew, on paper.
Ca. 17th century.
MS X893 Ab8
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
The Great Plague epidemic of 1629-1631 resulted in the deaths of about 280,000 people throughout Northern Italy. The plague had a particularly devastating effect on the Jews of Padua, where two-thirds of its members succumbed to the disease. This manuscript, written by a physician who assisted in the aftermath of the plague, is entitled Olam ḥafukh (A World Turned Upside-Down), and chronicles the aftermath of the plague and its massive impact on life in the community. At the end of the manuscript is a poetic rendering of procedures to be followed in the event of future outbreaks.
Gift of Messers Benjamin Stern and Charles A. Dunn.
Olam hafukh: Title page.