For 30 years, the bronze relief of the Menorah from the Temple, also embedded on the Arch of Titus in the heart of Rome, has been displayed at the entrance of Knesset members into the parliament building; Yet, those who walked past it every day could not accurately state the origin of this impressive relief or how it found itself there.
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To solve what became known as the "Italian mystery," teams from the Knesset's treasury, archive, and museum were summoned. After a thorough investigation, they discovered that the relief is a unique replica of the original Menorah from the Temple at the Arch of Titus. A document in the Knesset's archive revealed that the historical relief, which was produced by the Jewish-Swedish researcher Dr. Leon Yarden, was presented to the Knesset as a gift exactly 30 years ago by members of his community after his death, as part of his will.
According to the Director of the Knesset Museum Dr. Moshe Fuksman, Dr. Yarden, who was considered an internationally renowned expert on the Menorah from the Temple, went to Rome and conducted various tests to identify the original color of the Menorah at the Arch of Titus and the shapes illustrated on it. In his will, Dr. Yarden requested that funds be provided to cast two bronze replicas of the plaster mold in his possession to be displayed in the Knesset building in Jerusalem and the Jewish Museum in Stockholm. The community leaders fulfilled his request, and the cast was hung in the Knesset building in early 1993.
On Sunday, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana arrived for a diplomatic visit in Rome at the invitation of the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa. On the independence of Israel and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Senate was celebrated for the first time by both houses of the Italian parliament. Ohana arrived told his hosts about the emotional story that connects the Knesset in Israel to the heart of Rome.