About the project
The U. Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art is a museum, conservation center, research institute and synagogue that serves as a center for Italian Jewry. The museum was established by the Jerusalem Italian Jews Association in the former Schmidt Compound in 1982. The museum collects, preserves and displays objects pertaining to Jewish life in Italy from the Middle Ages through the present, focusing on objects of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum displays temporary exhibits and offers conferences, concerts and guided tours. It also houses workshops for the conservation and restoration of the wooden and textile pieces in the collection and a research institute that includes a library and a photograph collection. The building’s main attraction is the reconstructed Conegliano Veneto synagogue built in 1701, which was transferred to Jerusalem in 1952 and serves as an active house of worship where services are held according to the Minhag Bnei Roma (Children of Rome custom), one of the most ancient traditions in Judaism, closely related to the tradition that prevailed during the Second Temple Period. The Jersualem Foundation has supported several actvities at the museum over the years, including restoration work and educational programs, including joint Jewish-Arab youth programs.
