crowd of around two and a half thousandattended the opening of the exhibition

‘Italia Ebraica: 2000 years of encounterbetween Italian culture and Judaism’ held atthe Eretz Israel Museum on December 4. Theexhibition was inaugurated by Italy’s DeputyPrime Minister and Minister of Culture,Francesco Rutelli, who was accompanied bySecretary of State, Giovanni Vernetti, Israel’sMinister of the Diaspora Itzhak Herzog andTel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.

Hundreds of guests attended the openingceremony including the Foreign Ministry’sDirector General for Cultural Cooperation andPromotion, Gherardo La Francesca; theApostolic Nuncio Antonio Franco as well asmembers of the Italian Government, the LazioRegion (Diplomatic Advisor to PresidentMarrazzo, Giancarlo Riccio), the Union ofItalian Jewish Communities (President RenzoGattegna), the Italian community in Israel,Comites, and respresentatives from the sponsorsCompagnia di San Paolo , and Teli t

Communications (CEO Oozi Cats), who werewelcomed by Ambassador Sandro DeBernardin and Simonetta Della Seta, Directorof the Italian Cultural Institute.

Arriving from Rome were LeonePaserman, President of the local Jewishcommunity, and Mrs. Franca Eckert Coen,advisor on ethnic affairs to Mayor of RomeWalter Veltroni. Also present were members of

the management of Eretz Israel Museum,Director Ilan Cohen, Deputy Director ZachiBecker and Administration Manager DovTamari.

In his opening remarks Ambassador DeBernardin introduced the exhibition as a homagepaid to Israel and its people by ItalianInstitutions and the first contribution by aforeign country in recognition of Israel’s 60thanniversary celebrations in 2008. At a ceremonyfollowing the Ambassador’s statement MinistersRutelli and Herzog lit the first Hannukah candle.

Italia Ebraica is sponsored by the ItalianPrime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of ForeignAffairs, The Ministry of Culture and Heritage,the Lazio Region and the Union of Italian JewishCommunities, with financial support from SanP a o l o B a n k i n g G r o u p a n d Te l i tCommunications.

The exhibition, originally inspired from anidea by Arch. David Cassuto, was curated byNatalia Berger and Daniela Di Castro andorganized entirely by the Italian

taly’s Ministero f t h e

E n v i r o n m e n t ,Alfonso PecoraroScanio, arrived onOctober 31 for a fourday visit, his first toIsrael. During thecourse of his stayMinister PecoraroScanio took part int w o i m p o r t a n tinternational conferences, the InternationalWater Technologies and EnvironmentalControl Exhibition and Conference, (WATEC2007), and the Prime Minister’s Conference.

The Italian Minister also met his Israelicounterpart, Minister Gideon Ezra, heldextensive talks with the President of Tel AvivUniversity Prof. Zvi Galil and the Director ofthe Porter School for Environmental Studies,and visited the Campus of Ben GurionUniversity, internationally known for itsexcellence in environmental research.

Minister Pecoraro Scanio also attended thescientific seminar organized by the ItalianBusiness Desk at the Watec

n December 5 Italy’s Deputy Prime Ministerand Minister of Culture, Francesco Rutelli,

visited Israel, where he met with PresidentShimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmertand held discussions on possibilities forcollaboration in archaeology and conservationof historical assets. Mr. Rutelli also inauguratedthe Italia Ebraica exhibition at the Eretz IsraelMuseum .

Mr. Rutelli’s first port of call took place inJerusalem, where he visited restoration work onthe Dead Sea Scrolls at the conservationlaboratory of the Israeli Antiquities Authority(IAA), a project undertaken in collaboration with MIBAC, the Italian Ministry of Culture,

to determine the best methods of preserving theprecious papyri (see p.2).

During the course of the visit a Memorandumof Understanding was signed by the Director ofthe IAA, Mr. Shuka Dorfman, and the SecretaryGeneral of MIBAC, Dr. Giuseppe Proietti, forconserving and restoring cultural assets.

Mr. Rutelli continued his mission at ameeting with the Custodian of the Holy LandFather Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to discuss thepreservation of the archaeological site atCapernaum, property of the Custodian.

In his role as Deputy Prime

1

NOTIZIE ITALIANENewsle t t er o f the Embassy o f I ta ly in I srae l No. 48 December 2007

(cont. p.2)

O I

First visit of EnvironmentMinister Pecoraro Scanio

(cont. p.7)

Italia Ebraica: 2000 years of encounter between Italian culture and Judaism

(cont. p.4)

A

Deputy PM and Minister of CultureFrancesco Rutelli on official visit to Israel

Ministers Isaac Herzog (left) and Francesco Rutelli lightingthe first Hannukah candle at the opening of the ItaliaEbraica exhibition

Italy's Minister of theEnvironment AlfonsoPecoraro ScanioItaly's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture

Francesco Rutelli with President Shimon Peres

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Minister FrancescoRutelli

n the occasion of the signing in Jerusalem of theMemorandum of Understanding between the Israeli

Antiquities Authority and Italy’s Ministry of Culture, MinisterFrancesco Rutelli announced that Italy would collaborate in aproject to conserve and restore the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The original restoration work on the scrolls was carried outover 60 years ago but the precious papyri have deteriorated sincethen due to outdated methods of preservation, explained theMinister. “That the work to preserve a document of suchfundamental importance as the Dead Sea Scrolls should be entrustedto Italy”, said Mr. Rutelli, “is testimony to our country’s recognizedstatus as world leader in the restoration and conservation of culturalassets.”

NOTIZIE ITALIANE December 2007

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Edited by:The Embassy of Italy in Israel(Economic and Commercial Office)

p.1p.1p.1p.2p.2p.2p.3p.3p.3p.4p.4p.4p.5p.5p.5p.5p.5p.6p.6p.6p.6p.6p.7p.7p.8p.8

Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli visits IsraelFirst visit of Italy’s Environment MinisterItalia Ebraica exhibitionItaly participates in Israfood expoComites invites parliamentarians to IsraelItaly helps preserve Dead Sea ScrollsConserving and dating archaeological treasuresCooperation in biology and engineeringItalians attend Watec 2007 expoItalian Language Week: Celebrating SicilyCelebrating Italian Armed Forces DayItalian Air Force Commander visits IsraelOne step at a timeChamber of Commerce receives endorsementFocusing on Israeli alternative energyIsraelis attend Ecomondo expoIsraeli companies attend Matching 2007Italy enables Israeli-Palestinian dialogueSicilians of the rock and Sicilians overseasLiterature and photography of SicilyDay of Italian football‘The Leopard’ restoredEvents in IsraelEvents at the Nahon MuseumEvents in ItalyItalian Trade Fair Calendar

Trade Tower, 25 HaMered Street, Tel Aviv 68125Te l : 0 3 - 5 1 6 . 1 7 4 4 F a x : 0 3 - 5 1 6 . 1 7 5 5www.ambtelaviv.esteri.it Sportellounico.telaviv@esteri.it

Minister, Mr. Rutelli also held discussions withPresident Shimon Peres and Prime MinisterEhud Olmert. Discussions with President Peresexplored the relationship between peace andeconomic integration between countries of theregion. “Political confrontation is divisive,”said Mr. Rutelli, “whereas economicengagement creates ties.”

Mr. Rutelli met with Prime Minister Olmertin a particularly congenial and friendlyatmosphere. Mr. Olmert thanked Italy for itsrole in the Middle East, including warm wordsof appreciation for the activities undertaken byUNIFIL and its Italian commander GeneralClaudio Graziano, and underlined theimportance to Israel of Italy’s support andcollaboration in all sectors, which he hopedwould grow in the future.

Mr. Rutelli spoke of the depth of therelationship between Italy and Israel and bothcountries’ desire to collaborate also in culturalaffairs, such as the Italia Ebraica Exhibition.

(cont. from p. 1)

Deputy PM Rutelli visits Israel

O

Deputy Prime Minister Francesco Rutelli examines the Dead Sea Scolls, withAmb. De Bernardin

even Italian companies in the food sector,headed by women entrepreneurs,

participated in Israfood 2007, the 25thInternational food and beverage exhibitionheld at the Tel-Aviv Exhibition Grounds onNovember 26 - 28.

A wide variety of products ranging fromwines and olive oil to bread, pasta and sauces,was displayed in an Italian booth promoted byOnilfa (the Italian Observatory for FemaleEnterprise and Labour in Agriculture) andattracted the attention of the local public.

During the fair the Italian companies heldbusiness meetings with Israeli importersinterested in their products. The event was

organized by the Israel-Italy Chamber ofCommerce in collaboration with Onilfa.

Italy participates in Israfood expoS

Visitors to Israfood sample products at the Italian stand

wo Italian memberso f p a r l i a m e n t ,

Deputy Marco Fedi andSenator Nino Randazzo,representing Italians livingin Africa-Asia-Oceania,visited Israel on December2-5. The visit, organized byI s r a e l i b r a n c h o fCom.It.Es (Association ofItalians Abroad), wasintended to strengthen tieswith the Italian communityin Israel in mat tersregard ing po l i t i ca l ,diplomatic, entrepreneurial and culturalrepresentation.

The two parliamentarians held discussionswith Adv. Beniamino Lazar, President ofCom.It.Es Israel, and Claudia Amati andSerena Luizzi of Beit Wizo Italia in Jaffa, wherethe meeting was held. Following a visit to YadVashem and a tribute to Yitzhak Rabin the Italian

lawmakers, accompanied byFirst Councillor Davide LaCecilia, met members of theKnesset’s Israel-ItalyParliamentary FriendshipCommittee.

The Italians continuedwith a visit to the DanteAl igh ie r i Soc ie ty ofJerusalem, where they werewelcomed by PresidentYehuda Pardo and AlisaVardi Benabu, and thenwent on to the NahonMuseum of Italian Jewish

Art and the Italian synagogue, where they wereguests of President Vito Anav and HevratYehudei Italia. After visiting the Italian Hospitalin Haifa the pair attended the opening of theItalia Ebraica exhibition at the Eretz IsraelMuseum, documenting 2000 years ofinterchange between Italian and Jewish culture.(see p.1).

T

(from left) Deputy Marco Fedi, Ms. Claudia Amati,Ms. Serena Luizzi and Senator Nino Randazzovisiting the Western Wall

Com.It.Es welcomes Italian parliamentarians to Israel

Italy helps preserve Dead Sea Scrolls

h i s y e a r ’ sInternational Water

Te c h n o l o g i e s a n dEnvironmental ControlE x h i b i t i o n a n dConference, WATEC2007, took place in Tel Aviv on October 30 –November 1 and included a large andsignificant Italian presence.

Promoted and coordinated by the Embassy,Italy’s contribution to the event included theparticipation of Environment Minister AlfonsoPecoraro Scanio and an Italian-Israeli seminaron "Eco-evolution, innovation and futurestrategies: advanced technologies in waste andwater treatment".

The seminar was divided into three sessions,one allocated to representatives of local andnational government institutions, and twosessions dedicated to presentations byrepresentatives from research institutions andindustrial enterprises. The aim of the seminarwas to bring together universities, researchcenters, environmental institutions andentrepreneurs from both countries to discuss thedevelopment and application of new technologiesrelated to the treatment of water and wastedisposal and to expand the already existingnetwork of Italian-Israeli joint projects currentlyin operation in these sectors.

Introducing Minister Pecoraro ScanioAmbassador Sandro De Bernardin thanked the

large Italian delegation for attending the eventand expressed his hope that resulting areas ofcollaboration would further solidify cooperationin environmental technologies and scientificresearch between Italy and Israel. Also presentat the opening were Ronnie Benatoff, Presidentof the Israel-Italy Chamber of Commerce andthe Director of Matimop, Yair Amitay.

Opening the proceedings EnvironmentMinister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio dwelt atlength on the relevance and long-termimportance of cooperation in these sectors andhow much more significant this is compared tosimple scientific or industrial collaboration inother fields. Finding and applying innovativesolutions for the treatment and fair distributionof water resources, said the Minister, arefundamental to ensure a peaceful politicalclimate, and form a central part of theGovernment of Italy’s strategic plan, includingsupport for initiatives such as these.

The Italian Business Desk also organized a“Punto Italia” stand at the event to further

promote and explain Italy’s involvement andinteres t in environmenta l i ssues .

three day Italian-Israeli binational

conference on “Materials,t i m e a n d s t a b i l i t y :applications in archaeologyand conservation", was heldat Bar Ilan University on October 30 –November 1.

The event, organized by the Italian BusinessDesk as part of the Italian-Israeli Agreementon Scientific, Industrial and TechnologyCooperation, was attended by approximately50 scholars from both countries as well asrepresentatives from industry interested in theapplication of new technologies for dating andconserving archaeological finds.

Headed by Prof. Lucio Calcagnile of theUniversity of Lecce, the Italian delegationincluded archeologists, physicists, experts inchemistry and engineers from the Universitiesof Lecce, Rome and Ferrara as well as fromthe National Research Council (CNR).

The Israeli delegationwas led by Dr. ElisabettaBoaretto, of the KimmelCenter for ArchaeologicalScience at the WeizmannInstitute, and included

experts from all the country’s major universitiesas well as Dr. Ira Rabin of the IsraelAntiquities Authority and representatives fromthe Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

New possibilities resulting from recentdevelopments in innovative materials, as wellas opportunities for further study were outlinedand discussed at the conference, which isexpected to generate a series of initiatives forfuture collaboration in archaeological datingand conservation techniques. These couldfunction within the framework of currentcooperation agreements as well as otherEuropean programs. Student exchanges andreciprocal visits to archaeological sites werealso discussed.

AConserving and dating archaeological treasures

3

NOTIZIE ITALIANE December 2007

T

he Israel i-I tal ianC o n f e r e n c e o n

Complex networks in biologyand engineering, fromprinciples to applications,wa s h e l d a t Te l Av i vUniversity on October 23-25.The event was organized by the ItalianBusiness Desk within the framework of theBilateral Agreement on Scientific, Industrialand Technology Cooperation and was attendedby over 150 experts and industrialists fromboth countries.

Opening the event were Prof. Zvi Galil,President of Tel Aviv University; Prof. DaniLeviatan, TAU’s Rector; Prof. RobertoLagalla, Health Inspector of the Sicily Regionand Prof. Luigi Fortuna of the Faculty ofEngineering at the University of Catania.

In his remarks Prof. Galil underlined thesignificance of this event and the importanceof Italy as one of the University’s and Israel’smain European partners in science andtechnology, a situation which the TAU Presidentintends to expand during the period of histenure.

During the opening ceremonies TAU RectorDani Leviatan countersigned a scientific andacademic cooperation agreement with theUniversity of Catania which formally came intoeffect on the opening day of the conference.This agreement will establish the basis for anacademic exchange program between the twouniversities, co-tutelage of doctoral theses andpropose joint advanced research projects.

The Italian delegation was headed by Dr.Vito Latora of the University of Catania andincluded delegates from the universities ofRome, Palermo, Molise, Turin and Trieste,officials from National Research Centers suchas CNR, ENEA and INFN as well asrepresentatives from STMicroelectronics andYlichron.

The Israeli attendance was led by Prof.Eshel Ben Jacob of Tel Aviv University andnumbered around 140 experts, doctoral studentsand entrepreneurs.

The conference served as an idealbackground for an exchange of ideas betweenthe academic and industrial sectors and isexpected to generate joint collaborative projectsbetween institutions of the two countrieswishing to adhere to the 7th EuropeanFramework Program.

T

Italian Israelicooperation in biologyand engineering

Large Italian presenceat Watec 2007 expo

Ronni Benatoff, President of the Israel-Italy Chamber ofCommerce, addressing the Watec 2007 conference, withDr. Adriano Gasperi

he 7th edition of the“Italian Language

Week in the World”, onthemes inspired by thesea, was celebrated inIsrael by a salute toSic i ly. The ‘Week’attracted a large publicand was the subject ofconsiderable written andvisual media attention.

Guests of honor at the numerous eventscelebrated in Israel last October 22–30 wereSalvatore Cuffaro, President of the SicilyRegion, accompanied by a large delegation thatincluded the Regional Councillor RobertoLagalla and Director of its Cultural OfficeFausto Spagna.

The “Week” opened with the exhibition“Sicily in my mind” by the celebrated Sicilianphotographer Giò Martorana at Sotheby’sGallery in Tel Aviv, which also published asumptuous catalogue documenting aspects oflife in Sicily. The exhibition was attended byseveral hundred visitors including officials fromthe Municipality of Tel Aviv and foreign

diplomats.The exhibition was

followed by a concert ofSicilian music throughthe centuries given by AlMadina, an Italian groupconsisting of vocalistC o s t a n z a L i c a t aaccompanied by pianistR o s y E n e a a n dpercussionist Valeria

Cima. Following the concert guests were invitedto sample the best of Sicilian cuisine, offeredby the noted Chef from Palermo, VincenzoConticello, at Tel Aviv’s Pronto Restaurant.

In Haifa the Week opened with a lecture on“Arthur’s Island” by ElsaMorante , followed by aprojection of the film of thesame name by DamianoDamiani.

On October 23 PresidentCuffaro, in Jerusalem for talkswith Israeli governmentofficials, opened an exhibitionof Sicilian artefacts at the

Nahon Museumof Italian JewishA r t , i n t h epresence of FirstCouncillor Davide La Cecilia, SimonettaDella Seta, Director of the Italian CulturalInsitute and members of the Italian Jewishcommunity.

The artefacts, a marble pillar from the 12thcentury with text inscribed in four languages,including Hebrew, and a brass astrolabe (formeasuring altitude) from the 13th century, weredescribed in a fascinating lecture by ProfNicolo` Bucarla, invited specially for thisoccasion by the Italian Cultural Institute. Theartefacts were subsequently put on display at

the Italia Ebraica exhibition in TelAviv (see p.1).

Over 300 a t tended thereception and second Al Madinaconcert at the Italian Residenceon the same evening, guests ofA m b a s s a d o r S a n d ro D eBernardin in honor of the Siciliandelegation and other participantsof the Italian Language Week.

Cultural Institute of Tel Aviv andits Director Simonetta Della Seta.

Italia Ebraica is a unique project. Coexistencebetween these two cultures, equally proud andequally productive and expressed through 22centuries of dialogue and exchange, hasbestowed on the world countless works of artand letters that have no parallel.

The exhibition, which will remain open untilFebruary 28, is without precedent and displaysover two hundred unique sacred and secularobjects, starting from the first century and ending

with modern art by painters such as Modigliani,Cagli and Balla, testimony to over 20 centuriesof cohabitation between two proud andproductive peoples . The items on display werereceived on loan from Italy, the US, the UK,France, Switzerland and Portugal and compriseitems both from private collections as well asartefacts from the Uffizi in Florence, the PalatineLibrary, the Vatican’s Apostolic Library and theNational Gallery in Rome.

"There are few countries in Europe whosenational culture has been so influenced by Jewish

intellectuals as has Italy," said Deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of Culture FrancescoRutelli in his introductory remarks, “and this iswhy our two peoples, friends and brothers, sharea common and future heritage,” he added.

n November 19-21 the Commander ofthe Italian Air Forces, Gen. S.A.

Vincenzo Camporini, visited Israel on a triporganized in the framework of thecooperation established with the Israeli AirForces.

Gen. Camporini was welcomed by theCommander inChief of theIsrael Air Force(IAF), Maj .Gen. EliezerShekdi and hiss t a ff . Af te rm e e t i n gAmbassadorS a n d ro D eBernard in ,Gen. Camporini held several working meetingsduring the two-day visit, which confirmedonce again the excellent and professionalrelations existing between the two ArmedForces.

O

Commander of ItalianAir Force visits Israeln November 5 theItalian Military Attaché,Gen. Nicola Gelao, celebrated

Italian Armed Forces Daywith a reception at the DanPanorama hotel in Tel Aviv.

The ceremony, in thepresence of AmbassadorSandro De Bernardin, alsohonors the memory of Italiansoldiers killed in foreigncountries during service ininternational missions, such as in Kosovo,Bosnia, Albania, Afghanistan and Lebanon.

Speaking to the large assembly of guests,including from the Israeli Armed Forces, theItalian Military Attaché outlined Italy’scontribution to these missions, which has made

it the world’s third largestcontributor of militarypersonnel engaged in peaceoperations. In the MiddleEast, I talian personnelcommand and man theEuropean Border AssistanceMiss ion in Rafah, theTemporary InternationalPresence in Hebron, theUni ted Nat ions TruceSupervision Organization

and, since last year, has contributed 2.500soldiers to UNIFIL in Lebanon, including itsCommander.

Representatives and families of the entiremilitary diplomatic community in Israelparticipated at the event.

4

NOTIZIE ITALIANE December 2007

TItalian Language Week: Celebrating Sicily

(cont. from p. 1)

Italia Ebraica: 2000 years of Italian Jewish encounter

Military Attaché celebrates Armed Forces DayO

Sicily Region President Salvatore Cuffaro (left) withAmbassador Sandro De Bernardin, Simonetta DellaSeta and Regional Councillor Roberto Lagalla

The Italian group Al Madinaperforming traditional Sicilian music

(from left) Mrs. Anna Bernardin, Gen. NicolaGelao and his wife Rosa, with AmbassadorSandro De Bernardin

Gen. Vincenzo Camporini (2nd fromleft) and his Israeli counterpart Maj.Gen. Eliezer Shekdi

Tsad Kadima" an Israeliassociation of parents of over

300 children with motor dysfunctions,celebrated its 20th anniversary withan international conference on thetheme of education and rehabilitationof children with brain damage.

The conference was organized inclose cooperation with the NeurologyDepartment of Shaarei Zedek Hospital,the School of Occupational Therapy of theHebrew University’s Hadassah School at MountScopus and the Bobat Physiotherapy Institute.

Experts from around the world and leadersof the Italians supporting Tsad Kadima werejoined by Dr. M. Delellis, physiotherapist fromRome’s Vaccari Institute and Dr. Claudia DeBenedetti,Councillor of UCEI (Union of ItalianJewish Communities).

The event was attended by AmbassadorSandro De Bernardin and his wife Anna,invited by Alessandro Viterbo, a member ofthe Tsad Kadima board, who met participantsfrom Italy, spoke with some of the disabled

children andheard aboutthe numerousties that uniteTsad Kadimawith I ta ly.During theevening thei m m i n e n tconstruction

of a new educational rehab center in Beershevawas announced, an expansion of the currentprogram directed by former Italian Dr. MarinaNorsi.

Italian participants at the conference alsovisited Tsad Kadima’s headquarters in RishonLezion where they examined the restorationwork and the new computers donated to theorganization by Italian friends.

Tsad Kadima is at the forefront of initiativesin rehabilitation and conductive education, andwill serve as a model for the introduction ofthese methods into similar institutions in Italy.

he 16thW o r l d

Convention ofI t a l i a nChambers of Commerce took place inLivorno between November 10 - 16. Duringan official ceremony, Assocamerestero, theAssociation of Italian Chambers ofCommerce Abroad, awarded the Israel-ItalyChamber of Commerce and Industry withthe "Upgrading Network" certificate. Thisimportant award testifies to the constantimprovement in the quality of servicesprovided by the Chamber of Commerce.

The event, which was organized byLivorno’s Chamber of Commerce andAssocamerestero, was held in collaborationwith Unioncamere, Unioncamere Toscana,Infocamere and Toscana Promozione.

The main themes of the convention werethe economies of different areas of Italy andthe strategies needed to integrate and increasetheir competitiveness in a global economy.In this context particular attention was givento the role of the Italian Chambers ofCommerce abroad and their capacity tocontribute to this aim.www.italia-israel.com

NOTIZIE ITALIANE December 2007

5

T

Chamber of Commercereceives endorsement

ontinuing its collaboration withRimini Fiere, and in a joint effort with

the Israel Export and InternationalCooperationInstitute, theIsrael -I ta lyChamber ofC o m m e r c eorganized theparticipation ofa n I s r a e l idelegation ofo v e r 2 0representativesto the 11th International Trade Fair ofMaterial & Energy Recovery andSustainable Development, Ecomondo, heldin Rimini on Nov 7-10.

Inaugurated by the Italian Minister ofEnvironment, Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio,Ecomondo ran concurrently with the firstedition of Key Energy and the third editionof Ri3, and was attended by 57,907 visitors(10.1% more than in 2006). In total,Ecomondo hosted approximately 1,200speakers (an 18% increase).www.ecomondo.it

C

Israelis attendEcomondo Exhibition

ar Expor tand Lan Lee

International, two multisector Israeli tradingcompanies, were invited to attend the 2007edition of Matching, an event that promotesthe creation of networks between enterprises,which took place at FieraMilano betweenNovember 19 – 21

Matching is a trade fair and workshoporganized annually by CdO - Compagnia delleOpere, one of Italy's largest networks of Smalland Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The

two Israeli companies were selected to attendMatching by the Tel Aviv office of ICE, theItalian Insti tute for Foreign Trade.

At Matching the two Israeli enterprises hadthe opportunity to meet and conduct businesswith the over 1600 Italian CdO companiesthat took part in the event. The exhibitors,active in almost every manufacturing andtrading field in Italy, represent just a part ofthe powerful CdO network that associates over34,000 Italian enterprises.www.e-matching.it

DIsraeli Companies at Matching 2007

lternative energywas the focus of

the visit to Israel by adelegation from Italyorganized by CdO -Compagnia delle Opere, one of Italy's largestnetwork of Small and Medium-sizedEnterprises (SMEs).

Eighteen CdO companies, active in energy,construction, infrastructure, environmentaltechnologies and related fields - together witha representative of ENEL (Italian ElectricEnergy Authority) - took part in the eventwhich was organized by Jonathan Sierra andMarco Jona of CdO Jerusalem, the CdObranch in Israel.

The three day intensive trip, which tookplace at the end of October, introducedmembers of the delegation to Israeliinnovations in solar, water, biomass and otherrelated power-generation technologies.

Delegates visited Israeli R&D institutions andcompanies specia l iz ing in var iousenvironmental technologies, and attended theWATEC 2007 exhibition as well as the PrimeMinister's Conference for Export andInternational Cooperation. The aim was toidentify potential technology providers andjoint venture partners.

The Italian delegation was headed by Dr.Enrico Biscaglia, CEO of CdO Italy and byDr . Maurizio Giuliano , Director ofInternational Relations at CdO. "There aremany similarities between the Italian andIsraeli economies,” the delegation leaders said,“as both are based to a large extent on SMEs.We hope to convey to our Israeli colleaguesthe message of the CdO model: by joiningforces and networking, SMEs gain the politicaland financial clout they need and deserve."www.cdojerusalem.orgwww.cdo.it

ACdO focuses on Israeli Alternative Energy

“One step at a time

Environment Minister AlfonsoPecoraro Scanio opening the2007 Ecomondo Expo

Ambassador Sandro De Bernardin in alighthearted moment with a member of TsadKadima, with Claudia De Benedetti (center)

ver 700 Israel is ,A r a b s , n e w

immigrants from Russia andEthiopia and Italiansattended the “Day of ItalianFootball” event, held at BeitWizo Italia in Jaffa onD e c e m b e r 1 0 i n t h epresence of Ambassador andMrs. Sandro De Bernardin.

Divided by age andsporting bright red, blue and green jerseys witha design of Italy and the Beit Wizo Italia logoprinted in white on the front, the teams playedunder the watchful eye of international refereeIzhak ben Izhak. Participants and guests wereoffered pizzas, fruit and sufganiyot (doughnuts)while younger participants decorated plaster

channukiot andprepared pittab a k e d o n a“tabun” (Beduinhot plate) andsmeared withchocolate cream.

At tendingthe event, asidef r o m t h eA m b a s s a d o r

and his wife Anna, were Dr. Laura Marini ofthe Embassy, Simonetta Della Seta, Directorof the Italian Cultural Institute, RuthRubinstein, Head of Wizo’s Youth Department,Moshe Ezra, Director of Youth and Sport at TelAviv Municipality, Orna Kadosh and GilElimelech. After the final whistle Ambassador

De Bernardin, thanking participants for theirattendance at the competition, presented thewinning team with medals and a trophy.

l a r g e c r o w ddescended on the

Krieger Theater inHaifa on December 11for the screening of theanimated short film P.O. P. ‘Pace of Peace’.The evening, promotedby the Italian CulturalInstitute of Haifa andHaifa Cinematheque,was a contribution to the ‘Feast of Feasts', anannual event promoted by the Municipalityof Haifa encouraging dialogue between Jews,Muslims and Christians.

Before the screening a documentary wasshown about the experiences of the group, madeup of young Israelis and Palestinians fromRa'anana and Qalqilia, which was invited toRome to produce the film together in a spirit

of cooperation andfriendship. Pace of Peacesubsequently received anaward at the Venice FilmFestival in 2004.

Guests invited to theevent included Wafa Z.Fahoum, of Haifa’s BetHagefen center for Peaceand Dialogue; PaoloM a s i n i , R o m e

Municipality Councillor; Franco La Torre,Director of the Office for Peace in Jerusalemof the Municipality of Rome; Luca Raffaelli,Artistic Director of the animated film festivalI Castelli Animati; Geries Khoury, Directorof the Al-liqà Center for Religious Studies inthe Holy Land and Edoardo Crisafulli,Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Haifa.www.paceofpeace.com

n October 25S i c i l i a n

publisher AntonioSellerio recounted thehistory and role of hispublishing company“Sellerio Editore” inthe Italian culturalscenario.

A t t h e A t a l i aGallery in Neve Zedek,i n t h e b e a u t i f u latmosphere created by the images of Childrenof Sicily, an exhibition of photographs by hisfather, the photographer and publisher EnzoSellerio, participants learned about the first

steps of the SellerioPublishing House, itsrelations with writersl i k e L e o n a r d oS c i a s c i a a n d i t sSicilian character, sounique and so differentfrom those of the bigmainland publishers.The event, organizedon the occasion of the7th Week of the Italian

Language in the World, highlighted thedistinctiveness of Sicilian culture and, at thesame time, its importance in the general culturalpanorama of Italy.

O

6

NOTIZIE ITALIANE December 2007Tel.

03-5161361

ItalianCulturalInstitute

Tel.03-5161361

ItalianCulturalInstitute

newly restored copy of the famous film“Il Gattopardo” (‘The Leopard’) by

Luchino Visconti, based on the novel byGiuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, wasscreened in the Tel Aviv Cinemateque onOctober 30.

The event was presented by GioacchinoLanza Tomasi di Lampedusa, famousscholar and son of the author, and LanzaTomasi, who offered their personal insightson the birth of the novel and the film.

In the foyer, the Italian Cultural Instituteorganized an exhibition of photos taken onthe set of the movie by Nicola Scafidi, whichintroduced guests into the excitingatmosphere of the set of one of the mostfamous films of early Italian cinema,including images of the extremely young andbeautiful Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delonin the title roles.

A‘The Leopard’ restored

ho are the real Sicilians? Accordingto writer Gaetano Savatteri and the

correspondent of La Repubblica AlbertoStabile, there are many different types.

In a talk at the library of the Italian CulturalInstitute of Tel Aviv, and taking inspirationfrom Savatteri’s book I Siciliani, the twoauthors underlined the distinction betweenthose who still live on the Island and thosewho “emigrated” to the Continent, betweenthose who see their origins as something tobe proud of, and those who try to forget them,embodied in the famous adage: Sicilians ofthe rock and Sicilians overseas.

W

Sicilians of the rockand Sicilians overseasA

Cartoons as a bridge for dialogue

Gaetano Savatteri (left) and Alberto Stabile discussthe people of Sicily

OLiterature and photography in Sicily

Italian Embassy sponsors day of football

Italian publisher Antonio Sellerio with SimonettaDella Seta

A scene from 'Pace of Peace', a joint effort by Israeliand Palestinian youth

Members of the organizing committee of Beit Wizo Italia

More Than Seven… Tu Bi-ShvatFebruary 6- March 9Exhibition of grapes,pomegranates andother agriculturalproducts carved onwooden column’ssome embroidered in

goldenthread and others cast in pures i lver, f rom the ancientSynagogue of Conegliano. Theitems will be on display in aspecial Tu Bi-Shvat Exhibitioncelebrating Italian Judaica fromthe Renaissance period to thepresent day.

Ancient and classical musicFebruary 2008Details to be announced

Purim in JerusalemMarch 9 – April 6Exhibit of ancient illuminated Scrolls ofEsther from the museum’s collection.

Between Carnival and CommediaMarch 21-22P u r i mevents basedo n t h eCommediad e l l ’ A r t ewith the besta c t o r swriters ands c r e e n -writers inthe field, in collaboration with the JerusalemFoundation and the Municipality of Jerusalem. Details to be announced.

27, Hillel st., Jerusalem Tel: 02-6241610 Fax: 02-6253480 www.jija.org jija@netvision.net.il

Winter at the Museum of ItalianJewish Art January-February, 2008

Tel.03-5161361

ItalianCulturalInstitute

7

NOTIZIE ITALIANE December 2007

Events in Israel Concert by pianist Edoardo Berlendis

January 3, Tel AvivMusic by Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Clementi, Galuppiand Debussy.www.fbmc.co.il 03-6201185

La forza del destinoJanuary 4-18, Tel AvivVe r d i ’ s o p e r a w i t hmezzosoprano Tiziana Carraroand bass Renato Girolami.www.israel-opera.co.il03/6927777

Sweet song of the crowJanuary 23, Tel AvivAn introduction to Jewish music in Italy. EdwinSeroussi (Hebrew University) introduces thecollection of music published by the JewishMusic Research Center, with musicologistMassimo Acanfora Torrefranca and vocalistSergio Molco, who will perform slected workstel. 03-5161361

Turandot by Giacomo PucciniJanuary 7-22, Tel AvivWith the participation of Marco Gandini(Director), Ezio Frigerio (Scenography), Franca

S q u a r c i a p i n o(costumes), VinicioCheli (lighting), andPiero Giuliacci andSusanna Branchini(cast).www.israel-opera.co.il 03/6927777

Adoration of the MagiJanuary, HaifaExhibition of sculptures by Ilario Fioravanti,one of Italy’s most eclectic and criticallyacclaimed artists, illustrators and sculptors.Recently Fioravanti’s work has been inspiredby the ancient Etruscan, Egyptian and CentralAmerican cultures.Rappaport Auditorium

The Jewish BrigadeJanuary 27, HaifaScreening of documentary and exhibition ofphotographs about the activities of the JewishBrigade in Romagna in the years immediatelyfollowing the second world war. Formermembers of the Jewish Brigade will attend thisevent, which coincides with the annualcommemoration of Holocaust RemembranceDay.

Exhibition (see p.3). Thesemeetings were intended to open the way to anintensification of already existing ties not onlybetween government ministries but also betweenUniversities and Israeli research centers.

Minister Pecoraro Scanio held a cordialmeeting with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Ezra,who stated that international cooperation, bothbilateral and multilateral, occupy a significantplace in Israel’s environmental policies and thatthe Israeli Government has ratified almost allinternational environmental agreements.

In discussions with Tel Aviv UniversityPresident, Prof. Zvi Galil, Minister PecoraroScanio expressed his full support for the levelof cooperation resulting from the MOU of 2003,and undertook to renew and expand existingagreements to include direct contacts with Italianuniversities and research centers. The Ministerreferred specifically to the initiatives undertakenin collaboration with the Porter School ofEnvironmental Studies, which he hoped wouldencourage further joint research projects in afuture application of the MOU.

At the Sde Boker campus of Ben GurionUniversity the Minister visited the BlausteinInstitute for Desert Research, the ZukerbergInstitute for Water Research and the Marco andLouise Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology.

(cont. from p. 1)

Minister Pecoraro Scanio

The Italian Embassy salutesthe publication of a newstamp issued by the IsraeliPost Office commemoratingthe cen tenary o f thefounding of the ItalianHospital in Haifa

PITTI IMMAGINEUOMO9 - 12 Jan, FlorenceMen’s Clothingwww.pittimmagine.com

EXPO RIVA SCHUH12 - 15 Jan, Riva delGarda (Trento)Footwearwww.exporivaschuh.it

MILANO MODAUOMO13 - 17 Jan, MilanMen's Fashionwww.cameramoda.it

VICENZAOROWINTER13 - 20 Jan, VicenzaGold, Silver, Jewellerywww.vicenzaorowinter.it

OROMACCHINE13 - 20 Jan, VicenzaJewelry Manufacturingwww.oromacchine.org

MARCA17 - 18 Jan, BolognaBrand Labels Conf. &Expowww.marca.bolognafiere.it

SO FRESH17 - 18 Jan, BolognaFresh Food Productswww.sofresh.bolognafiere.it

BIKE EXPO18 - 20 Jan, PaduaMotorcycle Showwww.bike-expo.it

MACEF18 - 21 Jan, Rho-Pero(Mi)Int’l Home Showwww.macef.it

CHIBI & CART18 - 21 Jan, Rho-Pero(Mi)Gifts, Perfumes, Paperproductswww.macef.it

PITTI IMMAGINEBIMBO18 - 20 Jan, FlorenceChildren’s clothing,accessorieswww.pittimmagine.com

ARTE FIERA25 - 28 Jan, BolognaContemporary Artwww.artefiera.bolognafiere.it

PITTI IMMAGINEFILATI30 Jan - 1 Feb, FlorenceYarn Collections, Knittingwww.pittimmagine.com

INFOSECURITY5 - 7 Feb, MilanInformation Securitywww.infosecurity.it

STORAGE EXPO5 - 7 Feb, MilanData Storagestorage-expo.it

SASMIL5 - 7 Feb, Rho - Pero(Mi)Furniture Industrywww.cosmit.it

SAMUMETAL6 - 9 Feb, PordenoneMetalworking expowww.samumetal.it

FIERAGRICOLA7 - 10 Feb, VeronaAgriculture & Animalfarmingwww.fieragricola.com

SEATEC7 - 9 Feb, Marina diCarraraBoats & Ships

www.sea-tec.it

MILANOUNICA12 - 15 Feb, MilanInternational Textile Fairwww.milanounica.it

QUADRUM SACA14 - 17 Feb, BolognaMouldings, Frames,Graphicswww.quadrumsaca.com

MILANO MODADONNA18 - 25 Feb, MilanWomen's Wearwww.cameramoda.com

VIATEC20 - 22 Feb, BolzanoRoad Construction &Maintenancewww.fierabolzano.it

BI-MUMEDITERRANEA21 - 24 Feb, BariMachine Toolswww.bimu-mediterranea.it

BIT21 - 24 Feb, Rho - Pero(Mi)Int’l Tourism Exchangehttp://bit.expocts.it

FLORMART MIFLOR21 - 23 Feb, PaduaNursery & Gardeningwww.flormartprimavera.it

MILANOVENDEMODA21 - 24 Feb, MilanWomen's Prêt-à-porterwww.milanovendemoda.it

MIA23 - 26 Feb, Rimini

Int’l Food Showwww.miafiera.it

MICAM SHOEVENT26 - 29 Feb, Rho-Pero(Mi)Int’l Footwear Expowww.micamonline.com

MIPELTHEBAGSHOW28 Feb - 02 Mar, Rho-Pero (Mi)Leathergoods Expowww.mipel.com

8

NOTIZIE ITALIANE December 2007

Italian Trade Fair Calendar January-February, 2008

Events in Italy The Promised Land

Until 27 JanuaryThe exhibition bringstogether 27 artists,Italian and Israeli butalso Japanese, Koreanand Dutch, in a multicultural atmosphere ofdifferent languages, ideologies and religions.The title has Biblical associations but alsoindicates the utopian desire to live in an idealplace that would be a homeland for all.www.etgallery.it

Tribute to Ettore SottsassUntil 2 MarchTrieste celebratesEttore Sottsass’s 90thbirthday with a grandexhibition, honoringone of the masters ofItalian design. Theworks are displayed in seven thematic zones:industrial design, architecture, photography,jewellery, drawing, ceramics and glass.Centro Espositivo d’Arte Moderna eContemporanea, Trieste

Canova and Venus VenetrixUntil February 3Antonio Canova representsthe apotheosis of ItalianNeoclassicism, an artisticperiod in which mythologicals u b j e c t s , p o l i t i c a lp e r s o n a l i t i e s a n dmetaphysical themes wereexplored. Over 50 paintings,drawings and clay models, as well as 16 majormarble sculptures are on display.www.galleriaborghese.it

Pintoricchio2 February to 29 JuneThe exhibition celebratesthe 550th anniversary of thebirth of Bernardino diB e t t o , k n o w n a sPintoricchio, a protagonistof the Italian Renaissanceand the symbol of Perugia. The “CappellaBella” (photo) in the Santa Maria MaggioreChurch is one of this artist’s major works.www.mostrapintoricchio.it

The enigma of Medieval ivoriesUntil 30 AprilThis exhibition presents 67 ivory tabletsconserved in the Museo Diocesano of Salerno,the largest and most complete set of ChristianMedieval ivories in the world, whoseimportance and fame transcend nationalborders. Together with 34 ivories from museumsand collections from different countries, theexhibition revives a crucial period of Europeanmedieval art.www.avorisalerno.it

Teatro alla ScalaOpera Season 2008Gaetano Donizetti, Maria Stuarda,conductor: Antonino FoglianiJanuary: 15, 18, 20, 22, 26, 30 -February: 3, 7Franco Alfano , Cyrano deBergerac, conductor: Patrick FournillierJanuary: 29 - February: 1, 5, 9, 12, 15Alban Berg, Wozzeck, conductor: Daniele GattiFebruary: 19, 22, 24, 26, 28 - March: 5, 9Giacomo Puccini, Il Trittico, conductor: RiccardoChaillyMarch: 6, 8, 11, 13, 16, 20, 25, 28 - April: 2www.teatroallascala.org

26-30 JanuaryS I G E P ,I n t e r n a t i o n a lE x h i b i t i o n f o rArtisan Production of Ice Cream, Pastry,Confectionary and Bakery, will take place atthe Rimini Expo Center, between January26-30 2008.At SIGEP, the entire artisan confectionerytrade is highlighted in all its manufacturing,creative and commercial forms: machinery,ingredients, décor & fittings, accessories,decorations, services, publishing andcommunication.www.sigep.it

SIGEP