News & Stories

Save Venice is proud to announce the completed restoration of the Italian Synagogue in the Jewish Ghetto of Venice. The public inauguration took place on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, and was led by the President of the Jewish Community of Venice Dario Calimani, Save Venice Chairman Frederick Ilchman, the Venice Director of Save Venice Melissa Conn, the Head Rabbi of Venice Rav Alberto Sermoneta, and Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro. Officials from the Italian Ministry of Culture, members of Save Venice’s Board of Directors, and campaign donors were also in attendance.

In 1575, the Italian Jewish community adapted a pre-existing space on the third floor of a building in the segregated district known as the Ghetto to create the Scuola Italiana, a synagogue where worship took place in Italian and Hebrew according to the Italkim rite.

Save Venice launched its campaign for the Italian Synagogue in 2021 to mark the milestone of the organization’s 50th Anniversary. Nearly $1 million was raised for the restoration thanks to major contributions from Grand Benefactors Mary & Howard S. Frank, Lead Benefactors Shari & Ed Glazer, Tina & Jeffrey Bolton, and Barbara & Amos Hostetter, and many other generous supporters (full list below). Work undertaken by the Lares Restauri firm began in December 2021 and addressed structural issues, the renovation of the building’s brick and plaster exterior, followed by the restoration of the synagogue’s interior decoration including the recovery of the original terrazzo veneziano pavement, as well as the conservation of the 16th-century Holy Ark (aron kodesh), pulpit (bimah) in wood, and 18th-century decoration and inscriptions in stucco.

The project is an integral part of the Jewish Community of Venice’s ambitious campaign to restore and revitalize the Jewish Museum and historic synagogues of the Ghetto. Thanks to major grants from the Jerome Levy Foundation and Leon Levy Foundation, Save Venice proudly also continues to support the ongoing renovation of the museum, its expansion, and permanent collection reinstallation, contributing over $2.2 million dollars towards the museum campaign to date.

To learn more about how you can support the restoration of the synagogues complex, contact kim@savevenice.org or 212-737-3141.

Save Venice extends its most heartfelt gratitude to the many supporters who made the campaign for the Italian Synagogue possible:

GRAND BENEFACTORS
Mary and Howard S. Frank

LEAD BENEFACTORS
Shari and Ed Glazer
Tina and Jeffrey Bolton
Barbara and Amos Hostetter

PRINCIPAL FUNDERS
The Blavatnik Family Foundation; The Prism Charitable Trust/AlanHoward Fund; and Sandra Rotman

BENEFACTORS
Christopher Todd Page in Memory of Jeremy Freeman
Lizzie Asher

PATRONS
Bruce and Barbara Berger; Merle Chambers in honor of Tina Walls; Sherry & Larry S. Davis; Mr. & Mrs. José A. Esteve; Richard and Patricia Jesurum Jay; Henry & Elaine Kaufman Foundation, Inc.; Cat Jagger Pollon in memory of Arbit Blatas and Regina Resnick; and WDF Director Discretionary Philanthropic Fund

SUPPORTERS
The Husock-Henschel DAF Fund, Babette Henschel and Bernard Husock; The Lunder Foundation through Peter and Paula Lunder in honor of Frederick Ilchman; and Connie Simmons and James D. Krugman

With additional support from the Young Friends of Save Venice; The Gottsegen Family Foundation; Albert Kalimian in honor of Manda Kalimian; Dr. Alice T. Friedman; Lauren Gross; Barbara Smith; and John H. Wilson III and Annasue McCleave Wilson

On the occasion of Save Venice’s 50th Anniversary in 2021, major conservation campaigns are underway at the Italian Synagogue in the Ghetto of Venice and the basilica of Santa Maria Assunta on Torcello. 50th Anniversary Campaign donors generously provided support for both projects.

LEAD BENEFACTORS
The Manitou Fund through Nora McNeely Hurley Silo

PRINCIPAL FUNDERS
Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg; Amy Harmon; and Tina Walls

BENEFACTORS
Amy and David Abrams in honor of Anne Hawley and her impressive efforts to support the conservation of Venice art and architecture; and BVLGARI

PATRONS
Molly and David Borthwick; and Mary Ellen Oldenburg

RECENT PRESS (In Italian):
Comune di Venezia
Il Gazzettino
La Nuova di Venezia
Moked