The Jewish Museum of Rome is located in the Great Synagogue complex. Walking around the different rooms you can see a reconstruction of Jewish life in Rome since the earliest settlement in the 2nd century BC. The Jewish community has been living continuously in Rome for 2,200 years, making it one of the oldest communities outside of Israel. The exhibits on display in the museum date back to the ghetto period (1555–1870) and all come from the original “Five Synagogues” building. The rich collection includes liturgical furnishings, manuscripts, incunabula, historical documents, records and marble works.
Since 1960, the museum has displayed its treasures in a single room, but the study and cataloguing of all the works required a larger display area. The new exhibition space was inaugurated in 2005. The museum covers an area of 700 square metres and unfolds through seven rooms with different themes. It shows us how the Jewish community managed to integrate into the socio-economic structure of the city, while maintaining their own identity.