'Italy in Israel' at Expo on Italians' role in Jewish state

(ANSA) - Milan, September 4 - A conference on the role of Italian Jews in the foundation of development of Israel will be held at the Israeli Pavilion at Milan Expo Monday to mark the European Day of Jewish Culture, officials said Friday.
    The event is organised in collaboration with the Hevrat Yehudé Italia be-Israel, the Israeli community in Italy, and with the U.Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art in Jerusalem.
    The conference is an opportunity to discover the precious contribution Italian Jews have made to the recent and ancient history of Israel, organisers say.
    Elazar Cohen, General Commissioner of the Israeli Pavilion at the universal exposition, said "Italy in Israel aims to illustrate the relationship between the two countries -- a bridge event that recounts the meeting and exchange between close cultures. It is not by chance that the bridge as a symbol of connection was chosen as the theme of the European Day of Jewis Culture 2015".
    "The link with Italy and its culture has always been lively and expressed also by the transport to Israel of part of the sinagogue drapings, eblonging to the Jewish communities, that were extinct or becoming extinct, to make them re-live in their original purpose. The Italian contribution to Italy has also given the country precious artistic wealth".
    The programme begins with the records of a convention on Italy in Israel started in Jerusalemm in 2012 documented by the Monthly Roundup of Israel, the publisher of which is the Union of Italian Jewish Communities.
    The conference will end with a round table discussion on the Expo theme of "feeding the planet" with contributions by experts active in experimenting in the fields of marine biology and agricltural research.