“Journey Through Italy: Discovering Italy’s Jewish Cultural Heritage.” This is the title of a new exhibition at the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah (MEIS) in Ferrara. The exhibition features two remarkable photographic collections from the 1930s and 1940s: the Ern\u0151 Munk\u00e1csi collection, which documents Jewish life in Italy; and the Fund of the Federation of Jewish Cultural Associations (FBCEI), which is preserved at the National Library of Italian Judaism “Tullia Zevi” in Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the opening, FBCEI President Dario Disegni said that this is the first phase of studying and displaying a heritage that was “almost unknown to most people until now” and an invitation to reflect on the reality of Italian Jewish communities over the past century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disegni met with the FBCEI board of directors in Ferrara to approve the budget and programmatic guidelines for 2026. He said that the next year will be characterized by a “significant commitment to continuing many ongoing projects” and launching “new initiatives of particular interest.” Among the former, for which funding has been approved, are the enhancement of the National Library of Italian Judaism, the strengthening the www.visitjewishitaly.it portal, and the restoring the Valdirose cemetery in Nova Gorica. The list also includes the organization of exhibitions, events, and conferences, publishing books, and continuing a project commissioned by the UCEI to survey and promote Jewish liturgical musical sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disegni emphasized that producing and expanding culture is fundamental, especially in times of resurgent antisemitism. He also announced his intention to organize a conference in Rome in June on the FACE collection. An initiative to be held in Mantua with the Teresian Library was also announced: <\/strong>It will focus on the Codex Norsa, an illuminated manuscript of Maimonides’s Guide for the Perplexed<\/em>. This manuscript was previously exhibited at the Meis in the “The Renaissance Speaks Hebrew” exhibition a few years ago. Disegni also announced the publication of the conference proceedings, “Am haSefer \u2014 The People of the Book: Readers and Bibliophiles in Italian Jewry from the 17th to the 20th Century,” which was held in 2023. “We will present it in various venues.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n