Italian Judaism is taking action: the UCEI’s 8×1000 campaign for 2026 is underway

“In this complex historical moment, we have chosen not to hide. The faces of Italian Judaism are the face of a vibrant, present, peaceful community, an integral part of this country.” Thus, Livia Ottolenghi, President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, launched the campaign for the 2026 eight-per-thousand tax return, coinciding with the tax return season.
The 8×1000 Commission is a subgroup of the communications committee of which I am a member.
This year, the aim was to convey a message of urgency: it is essential that Italian Jews sign up for the 8×1000, because the numbers recorded so far are rather disappointing.
However, we also wanted to convey an image of the life, faces, and places of Italian Judaism.
For this reason, we chose to work by distinguishing between internal and external targets. Within the Communities, the issue is not so much knowledge of the instrument, but rather a sense of urgency: the continuity of Italian Judaism is not guaranteed, but depends on an active and conscious choice. Externally, however, the challenge is primarily cultural: to convey the perception of Judaism not as a distant or minority reality, but as an integral part of the country’s historical, cultural, and civic heritage.
This distinction has led to a more targeted construction of messages and, above all, to a precise creative choice: to put people at the center. The campaign’s concept—giving a face to Italian Judaism—arises precisely from the need to make visible what often remains abstract. Different faces, different ages, different roles, not to represent an idealized image, but to convey the concrete reality of living, present, and diverse communities.
Indeed, you will see the various Community delegates, associated with a place and a phrase, representing the plurality and richness of Italian Judaism.
On the operational level, too, we have worked to build a more integrated system. The campaign is not conceived as a simple sum of tools, but as a coordinated whole that unites digital, physical presence, and a network of relationships: social media, newsletters, a website, information materials, but also the direct involvement of the Communities, Presidents, delegates, and—particularly importantly—CAF (Tax Assistance Funds) and accountants, who intercept the very moment of signing.
Each tool has been designed to strengthen coordinated and recognizable communication, enhancing the role of the Communities as active protagonists of the campaign and transforming them into the primary ambassadors of the 8×1000 message.
Finally, the planning logic has also been revised. Instead of concentrating efforts in a single moment, a progressive approach has been chosen, spread across the entire fiscal period: an initial activation phase for already involved audiences, a subsequent expansion to new targets, and, finally, a consolidation and final push phase. This allows not only to maintain continuity of presence, but also to adapt communication based on the context and intermediate results.
In essence, the message is simple: signing and having others sign for the 8×1000 tax return means making a concrete contribution to the future of Italian Judaism.

Sara Levi Sacerdotti