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Renaissance Synagogues Being Restored in Venice’s Ghetto

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By: Chris Warde-Jones

Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th-century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through.

For nearly two years, restorers have been peeling away paint and discovering the original foundations of three of the ghetto’s synagogues, which are considered the only Renaissance synagogues still in use, art historian David Landau said.

Interiors of the 1528 Great German Schola Synagogue, of Ashkenazi rite, are seen in this picture taken in Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. The Great German Schola is the first synagogue of the Venice Ghetto. Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

Landau is spearheading the fundraising effort to restore the synagogues and nearby buildings both for Venice’s small Jewish community, which numbers around 450 people, and for tourists who can visit them on a guided tour through the Jewish Museum of Venice.

“I was really deeply offended by the state of the synagogues,” said Landau, a Renaissance specialist who bought a home in Venice 12 years ago. “I felt that the synagogues were in very bad condition. They had been altered beyond recognition over the centuries, and needed to be kind of cared for and loved.”

He has secured about 5 million euros to date and expects workers can complete the restoration process by the end of 2023 if the rest of the funding comes through, although the original outstanding 4 million euros has now ballooned to 6 million euros because of soaring building costs.

Venice’s ghetto dates from 1516, when the republic forced the growing numbers of Jews into the district where the old foundries, or “geti” as they were known, had been located. The area, which was locked down at night, became what is considered Europe’s first ghetto and remains the hub of Venice’s Jewish community in the Cannaregio area.

Dario Calimani, the president of the Jewish Community of Venice, poses inside the Spanish Schola Synagogue in Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. The Spanish Schola, founded about 1580, but rebuilt in the first half of the 17th century, is the biggest of the Venetian synagogues. Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

The first synagogue dates from 1528 and was built by German Ashkenazi Jews. Others followed and served different groups, including one for Spanish Sephardic Jews and one for Italian Jews.

None is visible from the street, as strict rules imposed by Venice’s rulers didn’t allow Jews to practice their faith openly. All the synagogues are hidden away on the top floors of seemingly normal buildings that on the lower levels held cramped living spaces for Jewish families.

The synagogues have remained operational continuously, except for the years of World War II during the German occupation.

A sign in both Italian and Hebrew shows the way to the Jewish ghetto in Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

The head of Venice’s Jewish community, Dario Calimani, said the restoration project was necessary both to maintain the religious and cultural life of Venice’s Jews today and to preserve the community’s history.

“They are a testimony to the life that it was, to the history of our community, small community,” he said.

People walk in the Campo del Ghetto Nuovo (New Ghetto Grounds) in Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

Back in November of 2014, the Jewish Voice first reported on the planned restoration of Venice’s Jewish Ghetto and its attendant synagogues.

The original plans called for a multi-million dollar restoration on the 500-year anniversary of the creation of the city’s Jewish Ghetto and the plans were announced by the Venetian Heritage Council (VHC) and an international group of leading philanthropic, business, and fashion luminaries. The project was expected to be completed in 2016.

External view of the Spanish Schola Synagogue in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

At the time, the Jewish Voice reported that VHC’s Chairman and President/CEO of Thor Equities Joseph Sitt and VHC Vice Chairman Diane von Furstenberg, were leading the international fundraising efforts and had unveiled the $12 million innovative design. The restoration was predicted to both ease traffic and flow through the museum as well as restore the centuries-old synagogues.

Specifically, the $12 million undertaking had planned to repair and reinforce walls and structures through the entire building as well as restoring gilded wooded panels bearing carved biblical features. The plans also called for the repair of numerous adornments and design elements that have suffered the weight of a half-millennium.

“This is a project long overdue and hugely important to European and Jewish identity. There are 500 years of cultural and religious importance residing within this community and it’s imperative that we revive and revitalize it,” said Joseph Sitt in 2014.

Art historian David Landau points out a restored area of a wooden column in the 1575 Italian Schola Synagogue in Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Landau is spearheading the fundraising effort to restore Venice’s synagogues and nearby buildings both for Venice’s small Jewish community and for tourists who can visit them on a guided tour through the Jewish Museum of Venice. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

“As much as this renovation is about preserving the past and the rich history of the Venetian and Jewish communities, today is about the future. All of us are responsible for making sure that future generations – 500 years from today – have access to these stories of human culture and progress,” said iconic fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg in 2014.

The Jewish Voice also reported that Venice’s “official architect”, under the UNESCO Program for Venice is Renata Codello, the Head of Italian Ministry of Culture office in Venice. In 2014, it was reported that she would execute the entire restoration, with input and direction from some of the world’s leading designers and architects.

Rita Ranzato, an art restorer, uses a scalpel to take away layers of old paint from a stuccoed wall inside the 1575 Italian Schola Synagogue in Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

“In addition to the structural revitalization of the synagogues, we are vastly improving and upgrading the museum space, adding space and streamlining room-to-room flow to accommodate the incredible interest in this piece of history. This is a huge component of European culture and it can’t be ignored,” Venetian Heritage Council Director Toto Bergamo Rossi added in 2014.

Interiors of the 1531-32 Canton Schola Synagogue are seen in this picture taken in Venice, northern Italy, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Venice’s Jewish ghetto is considered the first in Europe and one of the first in the world, and a new effort is underway to preserve its 16th century synagogues for the Jews who have remained and tourists who pass through. (AP Photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

(AP & JewishVoiceNY.com)

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