Foligno, Hananel Di

Jewish convert to Christianity; lived at Rome in the sixteenth century. He made himself notorious by his slanderous attacks upon his former coreligionists. With Vittorio Eliano and Joseph Moro, two other converts, he appeared, in 1553, before Pope Julius III. as an accuser of the Talmud, the result of which was that many copies were publicly burned (Aug. 12, 1553). A far graver accusation, and one which imperiled the very lives of all the Roman Jews, was made by him before Pope Marcellus II. in 1555. A Mohammedan apostate had crucified his own ward for the sake of getting possession of some property, and had deposited the body near the Jewish cemetery. Thereupon Foligno formally charged the Jews with having committed a murder for ritual purposes. Fortunately for the Jews, Cardinal Alexander Farnese, being convinced of the falsity of the accusation, instituted an inquiry, and succeeded in bringing the real murderer to justice.

Bibliography:

  * Joseph ha-Kohen, 'Emeḳ ha-Bakah, German transl. by Wiener, p. 91;
  * Grätz, Gesch. ix. 338;
  * Kaufmann, in R. E. J. iv. 88 et seq.



D. I. Br.