We spent a beautiful Shabbat with the community in Genoa, Italy. There were many young people there from all parts of Europe. The differences of language, culture and upbringing all melted away as we worshiped and celebrated together as one big family, a Jewish family.

Here are some pictures of the synagogue of Genoa. It was the last synagogue to be built in Italy in the "old style" before the Holocaust.

When it was built, there were over 2,000 Jews in Genoa. Today there are barely 200. Not more than 15 or 20 locals come regularly to Shabbat services, and there are no longer any services held here during the week.

This cozy little sanctuary is graced with hauntingly beautiful furniture, bearing testament to what once was.

This hanging was lovingly created nearly 300 years ago by a woman named Leah.

Painstakingly carved wood.

We are here in the Italian city of S. Remo, famous for its music festival and good weather. We met Eugenio, a fine fellow who owns a car repair shop. He just installed a mezuzah on the door of his shop. Now, whenever he enters or leaves the shop he will be reminded of his Jewishness.

Eugenio with his newly-installed mezuzah.

Towards the end of a day full of meetings and excitement, we decided to go at the Port of Genoa, a huge tourist attraction with a world-famous aquarium, hoping to bump into some Jews.

After walking back and forth on the seaside walkway, and meeting two Jewish couples from France who were surprised and amazed to see us, I was ready to call it a day. But Yossi said, "Just one more time and then we go." Too exhausted to argue, I accompanied him on another stroll around the port. We decided to sit down on a bench and give our weary feet a rest.

As we sat there chatting about the events of the day, an old man approached and asked us if we minded being so dressed up in the heat—referring to our trademark black hats and suit jackets.

Not missing a beat, Yossi asked our new friend, Giorgio, if he was Jewish. He replied that he was not. In response to our query whether he was related to any Jewish people, he told us that that his maternal grandmother was Jewish, and her name was Clelia Morgantini-Bellatalla.

We told him that Judaism is matrilineal, and that means that he is Jewish, as Jewish as Moses, King David and the president of the tempio (synagogue).

Right then and there, for the first time in his life, Giorgio donned tefillin and recited the Shema.

Thank G‑d for the hats and jackets we always wear—even in the summertime heat!

Helping Giorgio with the Shema for the first time in his life.

We arrived in Sardinia, Italy, late Wednesday night, July 9th.

This wonderful island is famous for its "casu marzu" – literally translated as "rotten cheese." More commonly known as "maggot-cheese", it is a large chunk of decomposed, moldy goat cheese ingested with "piophila casei" – or "cheese flies". These feisty insects can jump six inches into the air, prompting some people to wear glasses while eating their cheese. We didn't taste this delicious delicacy. Aside from it not being kosher, it has also recently become illegal due to the health hazards involved.

Our search for Jews started early Thursday morning. While back in New York, some time with Google had yielded the email address and phone number of an Israeli medical student named Gabi, in the city of Sassari. Back in New York, I emailed him that we would be coming to Sardinia.

Thursday afternoon, we drove the 160 mile drive to Sassari to meet Gabi. Strangely, instead of giving us his home address, he asked us to meet him on the corner of Via Roma and Piazza Italy, a populated area in the center of town. Together, we schmoozed into the night and invited him to bring two other Israeli students to our hotel for Friday night Shabbat prayers and dinner.

Although, the food was simple (bachelor cooking), the Shabbat meal was wonderful. We sat around until 1am sharing personal stories; it was as if we knew each other for years.

As the meal came to a close, Gabi told us that he had a confession to make. He told us that he had originally thought that we were terrorists targeting the Jewish students. "When you emailed, I called the Jewish Community of Milan and they did not know who you were. To me, it seemed a more likely scenario for terrorist to target Israelis then for Chabad to invest so much just to visit a few Jews in a small island off Italy. I had told you to meet me in public place so I was able to scout you out from afar and evaluate if you're safe or not." He smilingly informed us that we had indeed passed the test with flying colors and asked us to thank Chabad headquarters for sending us.