Anselmo del Banco

Anselmo del Banco was an Italian banker, Jewish money-lender and founder of the Jewish community in Venice, who became the most prominent Venetian Jew.

Anselmo owned several loan banks in the territory of the Venetian Republic. After Padua was ravaged by the troops of the Cambrai League in 1509 Anselmo found a refuge in the territory of Venice. Although the government was initially reluctant to the Jews, soon it realized that their residence could be beneficial for the city treasury and the urban poor.

Thanks to his financial services to Venetian government, the Jewish community, that was until then excluded, got the formal recognition. Furthermore, Anselmo became the leader of the community, their representative and person responsible for securing residence rights and taxation. In 1516, when the Senate decided to establish the Jewish ghetto he represented the community interests. Anselmo's concern for the benefit of the Jews exceeded the framework of the Venetian lagoon. It is known that he had contacts with the Jewish community of Jerusalem, sending money and helping the Jews who had left Venice and went there.