NEWS Italian Minister for Education visits Jewish schools ahead of Hanukkah

By Pagine Ebraiche staff

Lorenzo Fioramonti, the Italian Minister for Education, University and Research visited the Jewish schools in Rome last week. He was welcomed by Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni; Ruth Dureghello, the President of the Jewish Community; Noemi Di Segni, the President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities.

“Three exceptional guides – Rebecca, 10 years old; Fabio, 13 years old; Martina, 17 years old – took me on a journey through Jewish culture and traditions. There are many ongoing projects in Jewish schools: on environmental education, international mobility, and the learning of the English and Hebrew languages. Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, “which symbolizes the union of cultures, peoples, and nations”, said the Minister at the end of the visit. The headmasters Rabbi Benedetto Carucci Viterbi and Milena Pavoncello were also there to accompany him.

“The specific features of our education system represents a resource for our society. We provide education for Italian citizens who will use Jewish values to contribute to the growth and the development of our Country”, said Dureghello.

Di Segni said that Fioramonti’s visit was important “to assert the importance of schools, which play a vital role in the growth of our Country and to learn about our communities’ resilience with a cultural and innovative contribution”.

Translated by Sara Facelli and revised by Claudia Azzalini, both students at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of Trieste University and interns at the newspaper office of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities.