大象传媒

Julia Neuberger, Senior Rabbi at the west London Synagogue

I鈥檝e just been in Sicily for a few days- a beautiful place, with fantastic food, and the most amazing history. It鈥檚 had the Romans, the Vandals and the Goths, it鈥檚 had Byzantine and Islamic rule, but it鈥檚 also ruled itself at various times and it鈥檚 now part of Italy, but has a very distinct culture and feel.聽 You can tell it鈥檚 had lots of immigrants- from North Africa, from Turkey, from northern Italy, from Greece, and of course we know that it鈥檚 had lots of emigrants, seeking work in other parts of Italy but also here in the UK and in the United States. It鈥檚 been a wealthy state and then an impoverished one. And it鈥檚 a land of lemons, pasta and Arab style aubergines, as much as of great buildings and wonderful Greek temples.

But what鈥檚 most remarkable is the fact that it has been home to so many different peoples for many thousands of years, all of whom have left their mark on it in food, building styles, and the language - and that this seems normal to the Sicilians. They all know that they are something of a mixture, and that few of them can claim descent from the original Sicilians. They also relish that fact, and love their mongrel identities, as they welcome migrants from Africa who have been arriving in huge numbers.

Sicily is not without its problems- crime, poverty and corruption have loomed large at various times. But it does rejoice in being an island of many peoples and cultures.

We know it鈥檚 rare to find such a celebration of diversity outside great cities. Yet Sicily has it. 聽Sicily is a place to hold up as an example of how a melting pot can work, and how the mixture creates a new culture in itself. 鈥淏ehold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!鈥� said the psalmist. He was right. It can be wonderful. And Sicily, which has always been a country of mixed peoples, proves it.聽