Great Synagogue of Rome (Rome, Italy)
The Jewish community of Rome goes back to the 2nd century B.C. when the Roman Republic had an alliance of sorts with Judea under the leadership of Judah Maccabeus. At that time, many Jews came to Rome from Judea. Their numbers increased during the following centuries due to the settlement that came with Mediterranean trade. Then large numbers of Jews were brought to Rome as slaves following the Jewish–Roman wars in Judea from 63 to 135 CE.
The present Great Synagogue of Rome was constructed shortly after the unification of Italy in 1870, when the Kingdom of Italy captured Rome and the Papal States ceased to exist. The Roman Ghetto was demolished and the Jews were granted citizenship. The building which had previously housed the ghetto synagogue (a complicated structure housing five scolas (the Italian-Jewish term for synagogues) in a single building was demolished, and the Jewish community began making plans for a new and impressive building. It was built in 1904 using the designs of Vincenzo Costa and Osvaldo Armanni with Beaux Arts and Neoclassical elements.
Commemorative plates have been affixed to honor the local Jewish victims of Nazi Germany and of a Palestine Liberation Organization attack in 1982.
The historic center of Rome is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Synagogue_of_Rome
Great Synagogue of Rome (Rome, Italy)
The Jewish community of Rome goes back to the 2nd century B.C. when the Roman Republic had an alliance of sorts with Judea under the leadership of Judah Maccabeus. At that time, many Jews came to Rome from Judea. Their numbers increased during the following centuries due to the settlement that came with Mediterranean trade. Then large numbers of Jews were brought to Rome as slaves following the Jewish–Roman wars in Judea from 63 to 135 CE.
The present Great Synagogue of Rome was constructed shortly after the unification of Italy in 1870, when the Kingdom of Italy captured Rome and the Papal States ceased to exist. The Roman Ghetto was demolished and the Jews were granted citizenship. The building which had previously housed the ghetto synagogue (a complicated structure housing five scolas (the Italian-Jewish term for synagogues) in a single building was demolished, and the Jewish community began making plans for a new and impressive building. It was built in 1904 using the designs of Vincenzo Costa and Osvaldo Armanni with Beaux Arts and Neoclassical elements.
Commemorative plates have been affixed to honor the local Jewish victims of Nazi Germany and of a Palestine Liberation Organization attack in 1982.
The historic center of Rome is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Synagogue_of_Rome