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Italy: Fundraising campaign kicked off to restore the 18th century synagogue in Siena, damaged by an earthquake in February

Ceiling of the synagogue, Siena, Italy

The Jewish community of Florence has launched a fundraising campaign for the restoration of the 18th century synagogue in Siena, which was damaged in an earthquake in February. (The small Jewish community in Siena is a branch of that in Florence.)

Siena synagogue

The community is seeking a total of  €320,000 for the restoration, which will take place in two phases.

The first phase will stabilise the vault, where a number of vertical and horizontal cracks due to the February 8 earthquake can be seen.

The second phase will involve the replacement of the existing roof to eliminate the dangerous pushing effect on the perimeter walls. The project also includes restoration of the neoclassical decorations on vault that date back to the synagogue’s construction in 1786.

The community has secured funding for the first phase, amounting to around one-third of the total needed,  thanks to grants from the David Berg Foundation (through the World Monuments Fund), the Società Israelitica della Misericordia di Siena, and the Fondazione Beni Culturali Ebraici in Italia. 

It is now attempting to raise funds for the second phase — around €200,000 — via a crowdfunding campaign on its own web platform.

The red arrow shows on of the cracks in the synagogue Photo: Jewish community Siena

Located just off Siena’s expansive central Campo, the synagogue was inaugurated in 1786 as an extension of an earlier one, following the project of Giuseppe del Rosso. Since the earthquake, the sanctuary has been closed both for prayers and to visitors, though the synagogue building, which houses a small Jewish museum, remains open. 

“To reopen the building in its entirety, and to make the building antisismic to prevent damage from future earthquakes, both phases of the project must be completed,” the Jewish community said in a statement. “Without replacing the roof, we will not be able to remove the sustaining scaffolding, which will have to be kept inside the synagogue until completion of the second phase.”

To encourage donations, local sponsors will present vouchers to the first 30 donors to make donations above 1500 euro, which will entitle them to a complimentary tour and wine tasting at the Terra di Seta kosher winery near Siena, and a guided tour of the Siena synagogue with a historian from the Jewish Community.

Watch a video talk about the history, architecture and art of the Siena synagogue, by JHE friend Dr. Samuel Gruber:

 

 
The fundraising campaign kicked off  September 10 — celebrated in Italy as the European Day of Jewish Culture — with a ceremony in Siena involving Siena’s Mayor and other VIPs. Rollout of the campaign, however, was marred by a rash of antisemitic comments on social media.
 
Some comments used a disparaging term for “Jews” and played on stereotypes of Jews as all greedy and rich. Some suggested that Israel should use funds to restore synagogues rather than  to “massacre Palestinians.”
 
“It is quite painful to see messages of this type reemerge following a request for help in defending a monument and piece of history of the city of Siena that belong to everyone,” Florence Jewish community president Enrico Fink said in a statement. 
 
We have read comments filled with cliches and rather gross errors; fortunately not all are like this, and there have also been messages of support — in addition to the donations that keep coming in. We can only hope that sooner or later these prejudices will disappear and insults and antisemitic phrases that don’t belong to cities such as Siena and Florence, which have always shown closeness and support for the Jewish community, will be swept away.
 
The community reported the messages to Italy’s antisemitic watchdog organizations.
 
 
 
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2 comments on “Italy: Fundraising campaign kicked off to restore the 18th century synagogue in Siena, damaged by an earthquake in February”

  1. This past September (2023) my wife and I had the good fortune of traveling in Italy, spending 3 days in the lovely city of Siena. During our time there we were fortunate enough to attend services on the second day of Rosh Hashanah in the Siena synagogue, led by the delightful Haim Levy. Sadly, because of the damage to the synagogue due to the earthquake, we were not able to pray in the sanctuary. From the women’s gallery, where we prayed, we were only able to glimpse the sanctuary below. Nevertheless when Mr. Levy began to blow the shofar, and I closed my eyes, the beautiful tones that echoed through the sanctuary reached my ears and brought me close to tears. Praying in the Siena synagogue that day was an experience that I will never forget. I wish all members of the Siena Jewish community much health and happiness, and success in raising the funds necessary to restore this wonderful building to its former glory.

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