Overview
Now in modern play form, The Jew of Bologna depicts the most sensational clash of religions in history. The church takes Edgardo Mortara, when he was a boy of six from his family, because a Catholic serving girl in the employ of the Jewish Mortara family baptized him when he was an infant. The abduction of this child throws the Mortara family into a maelstrom of torture, as Edgardo's father, Solomone, and Mother Marianna, attempt to wrench their son, Edgardo, away from Papal authorities. The case becomes a worldwide concern as this small boy evolves into a cause celebre. Prevented from ever returning to his Jewish Family, ironically, Edgardo grows into an apologist for the church that separated him from his family. Eventually, Edgardo becomes a priest and cuts his ties with his Jewish past to the heartache of his family.