The Holy “Torah” Ark of the Jerusalem Municipality Synagogue
In 2019, my team and I restored/conserved the Holy Ark in the Jerusalem Municipality Synagogue. This is one of 52 Holy Arks imported from Italy as part of a huge operation undertaken by the Jewish Agency to rescue Judaican objects and artefacts from synagogues that were abandoned during the Holocaust. This impressive rescue operation was initiated by Umberto Nahon (a key figure of the Italian Jewish Community) – the goal being that the immeasurably important religious relics saved would be placed in synagogues in Israel to be enjoyed and appreciated on a daily basis.
Originally, the cabinet decorations and engravings were executed using the centuries-old Doratura A Mecca technique – hand-crafted silver plating and painting with gold varnish. That is how European furniture artisans used to make gold ornaments, before the fairly modern invention of gold leaf. We restored the decorations and conserved the cabinet by purposely adhering to the original traditional handmade technique.
