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 Museo ItaloAmericano, Landmark Building C
A groundbreaking exhibit at the Museo ItaloAmericano in Fort Mason Center highlights the development and coexistence of two European cultural groups that have contributed much to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Museo’s new show, “Il Ghetto: Forging Italian Jewish Identities, 1516-1870,” examines art and artifacts from a pivotal period in the evolution of Italian and Jewish communities in Europe. The Museo has also partnered with Bay Area Jewish groups to present lectures and public programs illuminating this important era in Italian and Jewish history.
Curated by David M. Rosenberg-Wohl, “Il Ghetto” looks at how Jewish culture existed within the larger dominant Catholic society, which imposed restrictions on Jewish people as early as the 16th century. Despite being isolated in major Italian cities such as Venice, Jewish culture thrived and influenced its Italian neighbors through trade and other activities. The Museo show also focuses on Jewish culture in less restrictive areas, including Florence, Rome and Livorno.
 “Il Ghetto” brings together objects from a number of major collections to tell the story of Jewish culture in Italy. The Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, CA lent the Museo silver and brass items used for worship at synagogue and at home. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco contributed ceramics, while a rare musical score composed by an Italian Jew appears courtesy of the Music Library of the University of California–Berkeley. “Il Ghetto” also presents images from more than 30 national and international collections, including the Museo Ebraico di Roma, and the Galleria degli Uffizi (Uffizi Gallery) in Florence, Italy.
Admission to Museo lectures and events is $5 and reservations are advisable at (415) 673-2200. The Museo’s web site at www.museoitaloamericano.org has more information and images related to “Il Ghetto,” which continues from November 4, 2008 through February 15, 2009. The Museo is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. and admission is free.
Images:
Antique Ketubah (Marriage Contract) detail, Livorno, Italy Photo: Alberto Jona Falco, Milan, Italy, Italian Judaica Image Archive
Spice Box, 18th century, Italy, Silver, Judah L. Magnes Museum Purchase
La Befana The Olde Time Italian-American Theatre Company
Courtesy: Emelise Aleandri |
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