Italy received a gift to Hanukkah - the opening of the National Jewish Museum.
The National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah (MEIS) opened on 13 December.

The museum presents a temporary exhibition entitled "Jews, Italian history: the first thousand years", which illustrates the history of Jewish presence in Italy from ancient Roman times to the Middle Ages.
The exhibition, which will last until September 16, will be the first step in a multi-year program of exhibitions and events that will culminate in the final formation of the museum and its permanent exhibition, expected in late 2020.
MEIS is located in a complex of buildings that once housed a prison in Ferrara, a historic city in northeast Italy between Venice and Bologna, whose Jewish history dates back to the early Middle Ages.
At the official opening ceremony on December 13, Italian President Sergio Mattarrella and other high-ranking officials attended. Among them was Minister of Culture Dario Francescini, a native of Ferrara, who supported the project. "With this exhibition, a dream was achieved and a great void was filled," Francheseni said. - It will take several years before MEIS is completed. However, today we made an important step forward. "
The museum is under construction since 2003, when the parliament passed a law on the need for its creation. Construction today is fully funded by the state, which has allocated about 55 million dollars. Currently, opportunities are being sought for further financing the project.
Two buildings in the former prison complex underwent a reconstruction, and within the next three years, modern structures resembling giant, transparent books - the form of the design was inspired by the Torah, will be added to the main exhibition building, which is still in the making.