What the Great Synagogue of Rome Means to Me

Last week as my family lit the menorah for the first night of Hanukkah, I wondered what symbols of this miracle I would see walking through the Great Synagogue of Rome and the Jewish Quarter. The Basilica di San Clemente and the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran were incredibly ornate and grand with several paintings and sculptures of the saints and biblical stories, and I wondered if I would be just as astonished in the Synagogue.
Our first order of business in the Jewish Quarter was the Museo Ebraico di Roma. The Jewish Museum told the detailed story of Jews in Rome through the embroidered liturgical fabrics, inscriptions with symbols of shofars and menorahs, and the precious few photographs of the ghetto. We next entered into the Great Synagogue, and I was so struck by its beauty that I nearly cried. Jewish art does not depict human or animal figures, but there were still many layers of symbolism. A candle was lit in front of the holy ark that houses the Torah to represent that those first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures are always present behind those doors. (This is the light at the center of the Hanukkah story, sustained for eight days by enough oil to last only one.) Stars were painted in the ceilings as a reminder of the Abrahamic covenant between God and the father of the Hebrew nation - that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the night sky.
Lastly, we walked around the Jewish Quarter and learned about Rome’s tragic portion of antisemitic history. The most prominent date was the 16th of October, 1943, known to Jews in Rome as the Black Shabbat. On this day began the Nazi occupation of Rome. Their first stop was the Jewish Quarter, and by 5:00 am they had rounded up over 1,000 Jews, most of whom were sent directly to Auschwitz. Of those 1,000 people, a mere 15 survived.
Like other cultures, Jewish celebrations and holy days are born out of remembrance for both victories and tragedies. Though the Jewish Quarter in Rome has its dark days, the people still remember the miracles. As the festival of Hanukkah draws to a close in the next few days, I am thankful for the things that bring light to my life. Those things include not only my education at Bellarmine (without which this trip would not be possible) and my family (who have prayed for our protection on this fantastic trip and whom I miss dearly), but also this incredible opportunity to see the beauty of Rome and to grow deeper into my faith.