Happy Hanukkah - In Italy

Ciao a tutti,

Near my home there is an architecturally modern designed group of buildings that make up what is called the Skirball Cultural Center. It is a center dedicated to exploring the connections between four thousand years of Jewish heritage and the vitality of American democratic ideals. It welcomes and seeks to inspire people of every ethnic and cultural identity in American life.

True to it's mission I myself have attended at least two events at the center that where of Italian heritage, in fact, they were performances of Italian artists from Italy. And yesterday they included Italian-Jewish Culture as part of their Hanukkah Family Festival.

Though when one thinks of Italian Holidays they don't often think of Hanukkah, there is a large population of Italian Jews in Italy and in the States, as well as Italian-American Jews here who do. Jewish settlement in Italy supposedly traces back to the Roman Empire and so Italian-Jewish Culture runs deep in Italian-Jewish communities.

As part of the Italian themed Hanukkah Family Festival at the Skirball today, there were live performances of the music of Italian-Jewish Renaissance composer Salomon Rossi, and Italian Hanukkah songs. The also had Italian silver etchings art workshops for the kids, and the center's restaurant featured Italian carciofi alla giudia.

I myself was most interested in the exquisite Hanukkah lamps from Italy on display in the lobby exhibition hall. These pieces date back centuries and are part of the Skirball collection. Four of these beautiful objects are modeled after architectural forms, two with fountain imagery.

Others show angels, mythological figures, exotic birds, and other decorative motifs that were popularized in Italy during the seventeenth century and reveal the Renaissance fascination with Greek and Roman antiquity.



Above I am pictured in front of a few of them, and here are pictures of each one individually.





Thank you to the Skirball Cultural Center for making Italian-Jewish Culture the them for this years Hanukkah Family Festival.

And thank you to Mia Carino, Assistant Director of External Affairs at the Skirball, for making a private viewing and photographing of these Hanukkah lamps possible.

Finally, to all my Jewish and Italian-Jewish friends and fans, a Happy Hanukkah.

Filippo

P.S. I think this video I found on Youtube.com is very appropriate for this post. Hoffman York (an Advertising Agency in Milwaukee) has created an original song and animation for a heart-warming Christmas/Hanukkah/Holiday greeting! (In English)