Communities > Flood in Brescello
LEVI, AVRAHAM.
Minḥat zikaron mizkeret ḥasde ha-Shem asher hefli la-kahal kadosh Breselo be-ḥamishah be-Kislev shenat 5526.
Manuscript in Hebrew on paper.
Italy, 1765.
MS X893 L571
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Abraham Levi authored this poem of thanks to God when the waters of the Po River receded after a terrible flood which decimated Brescello, Italy in 1765. In a series of rhyming couplets, he describes the dread and fear experienced by the Brescello community as the waters rose and encroached on their houses, ultimately destroying three hundred homes in the area. Food became scarce because new provisions could not arrive due to the intense flooding. In response to these events, the Brescello Jewish community declared a day of fasting and prayer. Singing and praising God, the Jews of Brescello accepted a quasi-Passover upon themselves to commemorate being saved from the flood.