Fashion designer to restore Venice's Jewish ghetto
Diane von Furstenberg is leading restoration project of Jewish Museum and synagogues in former Italian ghetto along with real estate investor and group of philanthropists.
Von Furstenberg announced recently that she, along with real estate investor Joseph Sitt, would be heading the $12 million restoration project of Venice’s Jewish ghetto.
According to J Space News, the project will include the restoration of the Jewish Museum and the synagogues in the former Italian ghetto, where in 1516 the Jewish population was forced to reside by order of Venice’s council.
The restoration will include fixing the buildings and statues, in addition to building a gallery and fixing the complex’s traffic flow.
The project, which in addition to being backed by von Furstenberg also includes a group of philanthropists interested in preserving the area’s history, is expected to be completed by ghetto’s 500th anniversary in 2016.
The project will also be made with the help of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) program for the city, which is a World Heritage Site.
"As much as this renovation is about preserving the past and the rich history of the Venetian and Jewish communities, today is about the future," J Space News quoted von Furstenberg as saying.
"All of us are responsible for making sure that future generations – 500 years from today – have access to these stories of human culture and progress."
Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life .
