Padua Ashkenazi Synagogue is burnt down by three Italian fascists

On the night of May 14th, 1943, three fascists from Padua, passing through via delle Piazze, the street adjacent to the entrance of the present Museum, threw explosive devices inside the building.

At the time, the furnishings of the Synagogue were almost entirely made of wood, including the 17th-century ceiling, so the fire spread quickly. Thanks to the prompt intervention of the firebrigade, the building structure was saved. The marble Aron Ha Kodesh of the Synagogue too was preserved, along with the Torah Scrolls kept inside it.

Initially, the cause of the fire was attributed to a short circuit in the Synagogue heating -system, which had recently been replaced.  However, the expertise from the insurance company revealed that the fire had been deliberately set.

Shortly after the fire, in an effort to save what remained of the building, a new roof was built to replace the old one. The decision was made to build a roof slanting

diagonally. Thus, the Aron Ha Kodesh was only partially protected. In 1956, the Jewish community of Padua decided it would be better to disassemble the Aron Ha Kodesh and send it to the newly established state of Israel, where it is still located.

The building remained in ruins until 1998, when it was restored. In 2015 the Community decided to inaugurate the Jewish Heritage Museum of Padua, on its premises.

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