By Samuel Cohen
How interesting it was to visit the Italian Jewish museum in Jerusalem during a summer program in 2021. One of my counselors on the program also worked at the museum, and she gave my family and me a personal tour.
The museum was beautiful, intimate, and full of history. I learned a great deal about the Jewish community in Italy and the significant contributions Italian Jews have made to Italian society over the centuries. One of the highlights of the visit was seeing one of the oldest synagogues in the world. The museum had acquired the remains of a crumbling medieval synagogue from Italy and transported it to Israel many years ago. It has since been carefully restored and is still used by Italian Jews living in Israel, especially on holidays. The synagogue is nearly a thousand years old, and its design and atmosphere are truly unique.
This experience deepened my appreciation for Italian culture and history, and it also connected nicely with my studies in high school, where I learnt Italian in a club and developed an early interest in the language and the country.
Next semester I plan to learn in Milan and I hope the experience will be everlasting and impactful.
I am a junior at Brandeis university currently studying abroad in Milan. I am a triple major in business, physics and Hebrew with a minor in Italian.