- Joshua de Sola Mendes
The Silk Talit: A Jewish-Italian Story of Rediscovery
Dora and Sofia Piperno grew up in a Jewish family in Rome, Italy. In 2016 the two sisters founded a company with a very particular business plan: to resurrect the lost Jewish-Italian tradition of silk tallit manufacturing, and market their products to a global public.
The tallit (pl: tallitot) is a Jewish ritual prayer shawl, and the Jews of Italy had a long tradition of making exquisitely crafted and ornate tallitot out of fine Italian silk and embroidery; however, this art had been lost during the tumultuous 20th century.
After extensive historical research, the Piperno sisters decided to found a company, Talled di Seta, that produces magnificent tallitot out of fine Italian silk according to the ancient practice. They will share with us the centuries-old tradition of Jewish silk textile art and production in Italy, the Jewish-Italian custom of silk tallitot, and the ins and outs of creating a business that produces and markets a high-quality local product on a global scale.
The Pipernos gave a presentation recently through Muhlenberg College of Allentown, Pennsylvania, which can be viewed here:
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