The MEIS

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 05:32:03 +0000
Num. 34

National Museum of Italian Jewry and the Holocaust

Since 2009, the Ministry for Heritage and Cultural Activities, the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage, the City of Ferrara and MEIS Foundation have been working towards the realization of the meis, Museo Nazionale dell'Ebraismo Italiano e della Shoah (the National Museum of Italian Jewry and the Holocaust).

Established by Act of Parliament No. 296 in 2006, in order to bear witness to the constant and widespread presence of the Jewish community on Italian territory,

the MEIS is undertaking the task of introducing and disseminating the history, thought and culture of Italian Jewry and to encourage the meeting between cultures and reli- gions, peace and brotherhood among peoples.

The MEIS is not only designed as a museum-laboratory, to promote cultural devel- opment, studies and investigations, to host meetings and conferences, but also as a structure capable of easily and efficiently communicating the themes of history and the culture of Italian Judaism to different audiences and visitors, from children to scholars, from students to the merely curious and passionate, thereby creating a museum with a strong educational mission. It will include rooms for conferences and seminars, educational workshops, video projections, a specialized library, and also a bookshop, restaurant, cafeteria, outdoor areas for rest and refreshment. A fascinating place in which the public will come to learn, but also to visit a pleasant and welcom- ing urban location.

Located on the site of the former District Prison, it will help Ferrara with the difficult task of reconciling the city with what was - for the years between 1912 to 1992 - a place of exclusion and closure. From an architectural point of view, the new museum will combine two buildings of the former prison structure, with new constructions providing an external view inspired by the symbolic five books of the Torah.

Translucent glass with selected phrases from the Torah, characterize the page-book prospect, alternating with the red brick surfaces of the existing buildings. This approach seems to embrace the message of welcome and dialogue that is unequivocally the MEIS project's intention.

And now? When will the Museum open? This recurring question must be answered taking into account two essential factors: funding - now only partially available, and the time required for the construction of public works.

Meanwhile, by the end of 2011, the redevelopment of the building in via Piangipane will have concluded, so that the museum may soon start developing projects and informing the public of its first activities, responding to its vocation as a cultural centre for the city, but especially to implement the important national mission that the Foundation has set itself.