Museo Ebraico di Venezia

The Jewish Museum and the Historic Jewish Ghetto are a must see on the path to the discovery of Venice. The Venetian and Jewish cultures are intertwined through art, their cuisine and various traditions. The visit to the Museum, the Jewish ghetto and the synagogues offer a unique opportunity to further investigate and learn about art, history and culture.

The Jewish Museum of Venice is an institution alive and valuable to the cultural life and history of the city: it preserves and promotes the great artistic heritage of the most important Jewish Ghetto in the world and organize exhibitions, events and creative workshops for children.

The museum is a place of a broad discovery: their permanent collection, the exhibitions, the new contemporary section describe the Jewish culture in its entirety. The extensive museum library offers visitors insights into countless layers of Judaism, from ancient traditions to current literature.

The cultural activities that the museum organizes during the year are opportunities to address issues ranging from art to theater to history and literature. Other activities involve cuisine and creative activities for children.

There are two exhibition areas inside the museum. The first section is dedicated to the rites and liturgical objects – gold artifacts, textiles, precious objects related to Jewish worshipping and ritual celebrations. The second area is dedicated to the history of the Jews of Venice.

The parchment of the Sefer Torah, the scroll of the Law, is presented along with all the other items that they preserve and that go along with their rituals. For example, spice containers and candlesticks tell of the rituals of the celebration of Shabbat, while the precious fabrics reveal important steps in Jewish tradition: moments of daily prayer or during special rituals, such as circumcision.

There are everyday and sacred objects, pictures, manuscripts and original documents - some of which come from the historic print shop of the Venetian ghetto. Every element of the Museum bears witness to a part of the ancient Jewish culture, long-standing and impressive, a culture and a religion with ancient origins but inextricably connected to modern day.

The relevance of Jewish culture is most vivid in the last section of the museum dedicated to the life of the Jews in Venice: images, words, objects are integrated into a multimedia journey through history and culture, revealing the strong bond between the Jewish community and Venice through the centuries.

The Jewish Museum is strongly linked to the whole life of the ghetto, one of the most enchanting areas of Venice, and it is impossible to separate the institution from its context. In fact, the experience is not complete without a visit to the five synagogues, or Schools, which are open to the public at certain times. They are amazing integrated spaces, immersed in the existing buildings that the Jews preserve and protect. They are historical jewels of precious architecture and provide a charming atmosphere.

Losing yourself among the alleyways of the ghetto you can find yourself in front of the commemorating monument, a reminder of the Jews that were deported and killed during the Shoah (the Holocaust), as well as get glimpses of the everyday life of the Jewish community in Venice to their kosher cuisine.

Credits:

Venezia da vivere