Scholar criticizes Vatican Museums’ treatment of Jewish artifacts

April 20, 2011

Michael Satlow, professor of Judaic studies at Brown University, criticizes the display--or rather, lack thereof--of Jewish artifacts at the Vatican Museums.

“The Vatican library has an extraordinary collection of Jewish manuscripts from the Middle Ages, many of them illustrated and many of them acquired forcibly,” he writes. “Although the library makes them available for traveling exhibitions and is generally forthcoming about allowing scholars to see them, none is on public display at the Vatican Museums themselves.”

Satlow suggests that the Vatican Museums should open a new collection specifically for Jewish artifacts.

 

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Further information:

• The Pope, the Jews and the Vatican Museums (Forward)