ARCHEOLOGY – Italian Ministry of Culture and Jewish Communities sign an agreement on Jewish burial sites

The Directorate-General for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape of the Ministry of Culture and the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) signed a protocol to “regulate the activities of excavation, conservation, and restoration of Jewish burial contexts.” At the heart of the agreement is respect for the religious and cultural needs of Jewish communities, “primarily the perpetuity of graves, as prescribed by tradition.” Alongside this, the protocol also addresses “the public interest in the protection and conservation of archaeological assets, as well as the need for the realization of public works that may be affected by discoveries.”
The agreement stipulates that in cases of preventive archaeology in areas where Jewish cemeteries might be present, “all possible historical, archival, and non-invasive archaeological research should be conducted beforehand.” Furthermore, if Jewish burials are identified, “a multidisciplinary technical table will promptly be established, composed of representatives of the Ministry, UCEI, and any research entities involved, to determine the most appropriate operational methods and the interventions that are permissible or not permissible in each specific context.” If anthropological remains attributable to Jewish burials are found, “their custody will be definitively entrusted to UCEI to safeguard their integrity and ensure their treatment and burial in accordance with ritual prescriptions.”
Both parties expressed satisfaction with the agreement. “The need to identify common and shared operational methods for archaeological interventions in contexts that are certainly or likely attributable to the Jewish religion led the Directorate-General for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape to propose to UCEI a draft of guidelines on the treatment of Jewish burials, approved by the State-UCEI Joint Commission last June,” said Luigi La Rocca, head of the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. As explained by the ministry official, the guidelines now incorporated into the protocol “will be a useful tool for superintendencies and for all those working on archaeological sites.”
For UCEI President Noemi Di Segni, the protocol represents “the starting point for an ambitious project” and an important step toward safeguarding “both the integrity of religious precepts and the public interest derived from the protection of the national cultural heritage.” Gloria Arbib, UCEI councilor and cultural heritage representative, who participated in the Commission’s work along with, among others, the president of the Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage in Italy (FBCEI), Dario Disegni, shared the sentiment. “The discussion on this matter was positive and constructive,” noted Arbib. “The collaboration started several years ago, successfully, for the site of the Villa Torlonia catacombs in Rome was taken as an example. From the Ministry, there was great openness and willingness to find a balance between the different needs.”
Architect David Palterer conducted exploratory studies on behalf of UCEI regarding the area of the ancient Jewish cemetery of San Nicolò in Mantua, where the Mantua Hub urban regeneration project is underway. “It is good to have a framework that explains that if a problem arises, the rabbinate must be involved in the matter on an equal footing with the Superintendency and that such attribution cannot go to a rabbinate other than the Italian one,” Palterer emphasized. “The protocol is, in some respects, also a result of what we experienced in Mantua and can serve as an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue and engagement with various public entities.”

Adam Smulevich

Photo: A detail of the Jewish catacombs at Villa Torlonia in Rome