Italics – Donna & Barbra

By Daniela Gross

Hollywood celebrities got involved, along with the American Jewish community, in the plan to renovate Venice’s Jewish ghetto for its 500th anniversary. “Eight million euros are needed, and two have already been received from donations by people more or less well known who, across the ocean, love Venetian heritage. The singer Barbra Streisand promised to rally for it, and her enthusiasm drew in the stylist Donna Karan and other members of the Jewish elite.

As reported on Wednesday, in the daily Corriere della Sera, by Claudio Del Frate, this project was launched by the foundation Venetian Heritage, which has long been involved in saving Venice’s cultural treasures. Many members of the Jewish American communities supported it as did many VIP, who publicly promote this. Diane von Furstenberg has been involved, and the next to be contacted will be Steven Spielberg.

In the meantime, every day the foundation receives tens of emails from American Jews wishing to contribute, after having read a recent article in The New York Times about the beauty of the Venetian ghetto. “For my son’s bar mitzvah, I would like to donate a hundred dollars to your project,” they write. “These messages give us confidence,” commented the director of Venetian Heritage, Toto Bergamo Rossi. “At this pace, the ghetto renovation will begin by the end of 2016.”