The MEIS exhibition path

> JEWS. AN ITALIAN STORY The permanent path of the MEIS, which is periodically integrated and renewed, tells the story and experience of the Jews in Italy.

From the first evidence in ancient Rome, the exhibition leads to the Renaissance and the cultural blossoming of the Peninsula. Meetings, disputes, daily life and exchanges are represented through objects, artistic works, multimedia installations, videos and the virtual guide of experts.

1938: HUMANITY DENIED - by Giovanni Grasso and Paco Lanciano

Through the use of multimedia installations that collect vintage images and films and documents, “1938: humanity denied” creates an immersive experience that allows the visitor to come into contact with the drama of racial laws, social exclusion, Nazi-Fascist persecution and extermination. The narrative opens with the outbreak of the First World War, in which Jews participate alongside all other Italians. The story goes on, in 1922 Benito Mussolini leads the march on Rome. In 1933 Nazism affirms itself and since 1938 everything changes: at the end of July the “Manifesto della Razza” (Race Manifesto) signed by Italian scientists begin to spread; in September the “Provvedimenti per la difesa della razza nella scuola fascista" (Measures for the defence of the race in the Fascist school) are published and in November the so-called racial laws are approved.

The rooms divide the path, for a visit that in total takes about 45 minutes, into different thematic sections: from the documentation of racial laws, to the reconstruction of a class and exclusion on school desks, to deportation and extermination camps.

The path is enriched at MEIS by a site-specific installation by the internationally renowned Israeli artist Dani Karavan, created to commemorate the Italian experience of the Shoah.

JEWISH FERRARA. Open until March 1, 2020, the exhibition is dedicated to the city of Ferrara and its indissoluble relationship - intertwined in almost a thousand years - with the local Jewish community. The artefacts linked to Jewish rituality and synagogical life are juxtaposed with the stories of the Jews of Ferrara and the historical-artistic documents of the city.

STARS WITHOUT A SKY. CHILDREN IN THE SHOAH. Open until March 1, 2020, the exhibition of panels shows the drama of the Shoah through children's stories. From the stories of individuals, however, flashes of light and hope also emerge: friendships, toys made from a piece of cardboard or string, rites of passage.

> “Garden of Questions”. As soon as you enter the MEIS, you are welcomed by the “Garden of Questions”: a green labyrinth where you can discover the Jewish dietary laws, the biblical plants and their symbolic meaning as well as the various traditional recipes handed down through generations.