Jewish Community of Rome Inaugurates New Museum Space: New Exhibition Celebrates the Centennial of the Tempio Maggiore di Roma

By Samuel Gruber (International Survey of Jewish Monuments)

After the almost a half century of being confined to two rooms adjacent to Rome synagogue, the Museo Ebraico do Roma (Jewish Museum of Rome) will finally have space to expand, thanks to nearly two million dollar initiative of the City of Rome and Region of Lazio. The local governments have funded the renovation of the over 400 sq meter basement of the Great Synagogue of Rome to serve new space for an expanded permanent exhibition, with additional space for small temporary installations, while the Jewish Community of Rome continues to seek funds for the creation of a new exhibit within the new space and for other projects to better protect and preserve its collection.

The Jewish Museum of Rome holds one of great Judaica collections in Europe, but detailed knowledge of most of the metal, textile, stone and printed materials in the collection has been difficult because the Community, of which the Museum is a part, has lacked until now adequate space for research, conservation and exhibition. Over the next several years the plans call for a transformation of the Museum to make it worthy of its historical and artistic treasures, and long, distinguished and uninterrupted history of the Roman Jewish community.

Giuliano Urbani, Italys Minister of Culture, presided over the opening of the new galleries to the public on May 13th, in anticipation of a gala celebration of the Tempios centenary to be celebrated on May 23rd, which thousands of people, including the President of Italy, are expected to attend. An extensive documentary exhibition The Great Israelite Temple in Rome 1904-2004, has been installed in the new galleries and will be on view until October 31st, at which time work will begin on the installation of a new permanent exhibition about more-than-two-millennia history of the Jews of Rome.

The exhibition was accompanied by the publication by Umberto Allemandi & Co. of new book about the synagogue, Il Tempio Maggiore di Roma: Nel centenario dell'Sinagoga 1904-200,4 edited by Gianni Ascarelli; Daniela di Castro, Bice Migliau; and Mario Toscano with new photographs by Massimo Listri. The book describes the synagogues liturgy architecture, art, and history. Much of the material in the exhibition and the book derives from the archives of the Jewish Community in Rome and has never been exhibited or published before. The exhibition includes hundreds of documents, photographs, drawings, as well as film clips, an early model of the synagogue by the architects Vincenzo Costa and Osvaldo Armanni, and precious Torah ornaments and other ritual items, many of which are still regularly used in the synagogue. The exhibition and book also include valuable information other artists who worked on the synagogue, especially painters Annibale Brugnoli and Domenico Bruschi and the stained glass artist Cesare Picchiarini. Together, these artists created a unique religious and symbolic space for Romes ancient Jewish community, and bequeathed to Rome one of its greatest examples of Liberty Style design.

The communitys Spanish Synagogue, into which many vestiges of the destroyed synagogues of the Roman Ghetto were incorporated, is also located on this level and will continue to be used. In addition to the indoor space, a new outdoor lapidarium with over 100 square meters of surface area has been built on the south side of the synagogue, where scores of inscribed stones and architectural elements documenting the Communitys history have been collected and after documentation, cleaning and restoration, have been installed. Most of these pieces have not been seen for generations. This space, which will eventually be covered by a transparent roof, will also serve as a new entrance to the Spanish Synagogue.

For more information about the museum and its activities contact: centenario@tempiomaggiore.roma.it

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