The nature of Jewish life in the Diaspora is one of constant cultural synchronicity; while until fairly recently the historical trend was that the religious strictures of Judaism formed the dominant cultural framework in any Diaspora community, Jews could not help but be influenced by the aesthetics of their surrounding cultures. Thus the practice of Judaism from England to India was only nominally different, but its trappings took on a stunning multiplicity of forms. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Italy; the creative foment that led to the Renaissance also heavily influenced Jewish ritual art.

Devoted to keeping the legacy of Italian Jewish art from the 15th to 19th centuries alive is the U. Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art. The museum has a wide-ranging and rare collection of Jewish ritual objects, from Torah scrolls to kiddush cups, once used by Italy's Jewish community. Clear Renaissance and Baroque themes dominate in many of the exquisitely crafted works. Visitors can combine a museum stop with services at the adjoining synagogue, the only Italian rite synagogue in Jerusalem.