On Thursday we went to the Museum of Jewish Heritage.  We all learned a lot about Jewish culture than we had ever known before.  In the classroom, we often discussed the mechanics of Judaism and the religious rules they had to follow.  In the past, I have only learned about menorahs and dredeils, all having to do with Chanukhah, which isn’t even a major Jewish holiday!  Within the museum were all forms of art and relics.  One of my favorite things was the decorations used to adorn the Sefer Torah, the sacred text of Judaism in the form of a scroll.

There was a curtain which the folded scroll was covered, protecting it from light or dust.  On the top of the rollers of the Torah were huge palace-looking structures known as rimonim.  These had bells on them, calling people to when the Torah would be read, and between them, when the Torah is still tucked away, is a crown.  The rimonim and crown would often be made of bronze or sterling silver.  It’s amazing how much dedication is put into respecting a scroll; it really shows how sacred the Torah is for the Jews!

Next we were given a tour through two synagogues: the Spanish Synagogue and the Great Synagogue.  The Spanish Synagogue was small, but still had some rather interesting elements.  The Great Synagogue, on the other hand, was huge!  Since the Jews have been persecuted for such a long time (constructed in 1870 after Italy was unified and Jews were granted citizenship), this Synagogue was made to commemorate the struggles of the past and celebrate the good news of the present.  More commemorative items decorated the Synagogue later to remember the victims of the Holocaust.  The Great Synagogue is unlike any church within Rome, filled with Jewish symbols such as Hebrew text and menorahs.  The dome, unusual for a synagogue, was distinct for its square shape and rainbow patterns representing themes from the tale of Noah’s arc including renewal from difficult times.

Now we come to the most intriguing part of the tour.  In our tour group, there was a man who was a Reformed Jew, meaning he followed a more liberal form of Judaism and may have a parent who is not Jewish.  Our tour guide is Orthodox, meaning she holds a more fundamental view on Judaism and has a distinct Hebrew lineage.  When the Reformed gentleman asked “are Reformed Jews allowed to be official members of the synagogue?” the tour guide responded “No, we want to keep the religion alive” in a very condescending attitude.  I found it very neat that we were able to witness an interaction between two forms of the same religion, and how some Jews may feel about each other.

After this was dinner.  I ate a fried cow brain!  It tasted like the dark meat part of a chicken breast, but a lot richer.  Certainly something I would try again.  Later in the day I went to the markets set up by the Tiber, but there was nothing much I wished to buy.  I got a really cool picture of the scenery, though.