by Dramelin 5:00 PM 0 comments

?This is a historic event,? Ruth Dureghello, the president of Rome?s Jewish community, said at a news conference on Monday.
The exhibit, ?Menorah: Worship, History, Legend,? which includes about 130 artifacts, will open in May and will be presented at the Vatican Museums and at Rome?s Jewish Museum.
?As soon as news of the exhibit will be printed in newspapers, everyone will say, ?Finally, the Vatican has dug out the original menorah,?? Rome?s chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, joked on Monday.
Now, Rome?s Jewish community and the Vatican have teamed up to produce an exhaustive exhibition on the menorah, which in time became an enduring symbol of Jewish culture and religion, in a collaboration that leaders of the two communities described as a further step in solidifying their ties.
According to some scholars, the menorah remained in Rome until the Vandals looted the city in 455.