Welcome to Varsano Family Roots, a project dedicated to the researching and nurturing
the Varsano Family History, Food, Rituals, Art, Music, and Videos.
The Varsano Family exemplifies triumph over tragedy. The family name presumably originated from Provence, but was a Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) word. Life in Provence and Spain for the early Varsanos was that of a second-class citizen. The Christian majority systematically discriminated against the Jewish minority. Despite the economic and cultural restrictions, the Sephardic Jews of Spain thrived relative to others and for a brief period of time enjoyed a so called golden age. However, the oldest prejudice of antisemitism rose again and the Jews were scapegoated for all of society’s ills. The Varsano families of the the Middle Ages faced religious and ethnic persecution, imprisonment, torture, and murder. The survivors of these injustices were exiled and sought refuge in any part of the world that would allow them. A millennium and a half after the Roman exile of Jews from Israel, another forced scattering of the Varsano ancestors would be forced up them.
The dispersion of the Varsano family from Spain would push them into the temporary safe harbors of North Africa, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire. Eventually, two branches of the Varsano family tree would take root in the Bulgarian and Greek/Turkish sections of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans tolerated the Jews but still treated them as less-than-equal to their fellow Moslem citizens. Again, the Varsano families made the best of this partial acceptance and transactional relationship. Salonica, home to the largest amount of Varsanos, was referred to as the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” The Varsano families made significant contributions to the unique culture of the Ottoman Jews. However, once again persecution of Jews would become the ruling majority’s solution to all of their society’s problems. The rise of Greek and Bulgarian Nationalism would push some Varsanos to other parts of Europe and the Americas. A few years later, the Nazis and the Holocaust would decimate the Varsano families worse than any other time in history.
From the ashes of the Shoah rose a stronger Jewish community. Many Varsano families helped realize the Zionist dream and worked to build up the fledging nation of Israel. The Varsano families from Bulgaria and Greece would reunite in the Israeli town of Yafo where many of them initially settled. Finally, after nearly two thousand years these brave Jews finally enjoyed the full rights and privileges of citizens in their ancestral homeland. In time, many Varsanos would make their way to the United States and other parts of the world, but that would be a deliberate choice rather than a forced exile. The Varsano families of today are the fortunate survivors of the eternal struggle against antisemitism. Whether it was through communal strength, personal intelligence, or simply luck, the Varsanos persevered through historic challenges and now share a common heritage. Varsano.net brings that story to life and shows how members of this great family thrive in business, the arts, medicine, education, and the general well being of modern society. The Varsano families of 2024 are a relatively small group, probably less than 100 people, but have distinguished themselves in a variety of extraordinary ways. Let’s continue to build the family traditions and help repair the world (Tikkun Olam).
Disclaimer: Most info on this website was found with publicly available information. Therefore, if anyone finds incorrect information, formatting, or any other errors, please feel free to send me corrections. Contact Us
– Jon Varsano