ism ▁that ▁was ▁al ien ▁to ▁both ▁traditional ▁and ▁' en light ened ' ▁Jewish ▁ident ities ." ▁Famil ies ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Bel il ios ▁have ▁been ▁described ▁as ▁" the ▁earliest ▁modern ▁Jews " ▁and ▁offering ▁an ▁" altern ative ▁path " ▁to ▁Jewish ▁modern ity ▁from ▁the ▁Court ▁Jews ▁and ▁the ▁Ash ken azi ▁cent red ▁H ask al ah . ▁ ▁The ▁Bel il ios ▁family , ▁like ▁many ▁other ▁Sep ah rd ic ▁Jews ▁operating ▁out ▁of ▁Liv orno , ▁position ed ▁themselves ▁as ▁central ▁mer ch ants ▁and ▁bro k ers ▁in ▁the ▁bo oming ▁trade ▁of ▁cor al ▁and ▁diam onds ▁coming ▁from ▁the ▁Indian ▁Ocean . ▁Not ▁travel ing ▁to ▁India ▁themselves ▁they ▁ran ▁a ▁family ▁partners hip ▁in ▁Ale ppo ▁and ▁from ▁there ▁re lied ▁on ▁a ▁chain ▁of ▁mostly ▁M iz ra hi ▁Jewish ▁bro k ers ▁and ▁car avan ▁trad ers ▁through ▁Sy ria , ▁Ira q ▁and ▁Pers ia ▁to ▁connect ▁them ▁to ▁their ▁distant ▁H indu ▁trad ing ▁partners ▁in ▁the ▁far ▁off ▁Portuguese ▁col ony . ▁ ▁The ▁Bel il ios ▁were ▁not ▁only ▁trad ers ▁but ▁also ▁R abb is . ▁Rab bi ▁Jacob ▁Bel il ios ▁served ▁the ▁community ▁of ▁Ven ice ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁eigh teenth ▁century . ▁Rab bi ▁Jacob ▁Bel il ios ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁main ▁Rab bin ical ▁voices ▁in ▁Italy ▁who ▁sought ▁to ▁suppress ▁the ▁myst ical ▁vision ary ▁and ▁k ab bal ist ▁Mos he ▁Cha im ▁Lu zz ato