VENICE AND THE GHETTO La Serenissima on Exhibit at the Israel Museum

By Rossella Tercatin
 
After the exhibits inaugurated in New York and California, the Jewish Ghetto of Venice and the history of Venetian Jews are going to be on a special display at the Israel Museum of Jerusalem.  
From September 16, 2016 to June 30, 2017 the Israel Museum Synagogue Route will feature a selection of ritual objects, that will lead the way to the synagogue at Vittorio Veneto, a town close to Venice. The synagogue is part of the permanent collection.
 
“For all of its restrictions, the ghetto paradoxically enabled the flourishing of spiritual, cultural, and artistic richness,” says Gioia Perugia-Sztulman, curator of “Venetian Splendor: Marking 500 Years of the Venice Ghetto.” “Once established, the Ghetto drew a diverse variety of Jewish ethnic groups: German, Italian, Spanish, and Levantine. Each with its own distinct synagogue. Great efforts were devoted to beautifying their synagogues and adorning them with lavish ceremonial objects which embodied a distinctive Venetian taste.”
 
“The special display marking 500 years since the establishment of the Venice Ghetto and thus enhances the Italian participation in our Synagogue Route. It includes Venetian ceremonial objects from our Museum’s own collections. These objects prove a fitting complement to the synagogue in Vittorio Veneto, a town close to Venice. Together, the display and the synagogue reflect the cultural environment of Venetian places of worship, capturing their age-old essence and majesty,” further explains the museum’s website.

*The picture features a Torah crown with vignettes featuring musical instruments (Venice, Italy, 1730–40).