Emergency Stabilization of the Siena Synagogue, Siena, Italy

On February 8th, 2023 an earthquake struck the city of Siena, causing structural damage to the walls that support the vault of the prestigious eighteenth–century Synagogue. The prayer hall was closed to the public for security reasons and a small area in the women’s gallery was set up as a temporary prayer space.

Supported in part by a grants from the Leon Levy Foundation and the David Berg Foundation, the Misericordia Israelitica di Siena and the Fondazione Beni Culturali Ebraici in Italia, we are proud to announce that restoration work, managed by Opera del Tempio Ebraico di Firenze, has begun.

To secure and reopen the Synagogue, stabilization and restoration work is urgently needed. In the first phase of the project the damaged vault urgently needs to be stabilized, followed by the second phase  which involves the replacement of the existing roof to eliminate the dangerous pushing effect on the perimeter walls.

In addition to the foundations, which made significant contributions to the project, we would also like to thank our local sponsors, Cantina Terra di Seta, and Opera Laboratori. We sincerely thank everyone who donated to reopen and restore the Synagogue of Siena.