SYNAGOGUE IN FLORENCE OVERWHELMS

Finally. Alyson (Morrissey) and I have our first chunk of free time in Italy –on a record setting hot day.

After studying our map over savory gnocchi and chianti, we had a plan of attack. The place farthest away was the Florence synagogue. Fifteen minutes, we were told. To our tour guide, everything was 15 minutes away. When we spied Ruth’s Deli, however, we knew we were on the right track.

To say I was overwhelmed by the synagogue would be an understatement. From the cathedral-like grandeur of the facade and main sanctuary to the painted walls and old stained-glass windows, it took my breath away.

The upper floors house a museum, where we examined old Sephardic torah dressings, sedar plates, and other miscellaneous artifacts.

Florence’s Jews once held a position of prominence, with the Medici showing them much favor, treating them fairly and with respect. During the Holocaust, as the Nazis fled Florence, they planted explosives in various places around the synagogue. Fortunately, they were in quite a hurry; when detonated, many of the explosives failed to fire.

The Florence synagogue will stand proudly for many generations to come. A symbol of Jewish tenacity, perhaps?

Fun fact: we also learned that the locals generally agree that the best restaurants in Rome are in the Jewish Quarter.