The aim of the present work consists in outlining Italian Hebraism’s history from Risorgimento to Twentieth century’s first decade binding together Jewish emancipation and Jewish self-emancipation, focusing particular attention on Zionism phenomenon; through Leone Ravenna profile’s reconstruction the author intends to recompose the identity construction and deconstruction’s process that involved Italian Jews from Italian unification to Zionism’s advent, from 1897 onwards. The historical sources coming from Leone and Felice Ravenna’s fund, preserved at Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea’s historical archive in Milan, represent the main witnesses used for realizing this work; the author approached to this founding core several articles derived from Jewish periodicals, such as "Il Vessillo Israelitico". In addition, the author also considered the written deposition of Gabriella Falco Ravenna, Leone’s nephew, who wrote about his father, Felice Ravenna, and grandfather in 1970.
Keywords: Emancipation, Zionism, Identity