The Israeli capital is home to a major new exhibition charting the development of relations between Italy and its Jewish community.
Opened by Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, the exhibit explores 2,000 years of history through art, archaeology and everyday objects.
''We are very proud to show what an important role this small but extraordinary minority has played in Italian history,'' said the minister.
The head of the Italian Culture Institute in Tel Aviv, Simonetta Della Seta, one of the exhibit's curators, said: ''the cultural exchange between Italian and Jewish cultures has been a great workshop for civilization''.
There has been a thriving Jewish community in Italy for over 2000 years, making it one of the oldest in Europe and giving rise to a unique blend of cultures and traditions.
Approximately 200 objects are on display, including items of both historical and artistic value, on loan from Italy, the US, the UK, France and Switzerland.
Archaeological finds, textiles, clothes, paintings, manuscripts, wood and silver furniture, jewellery and Jewish documents have been lined up for the exhibit.
The event seeks to highlight the interchange of cultures rather than the impact of one side on the other.
It covers a range of areas, including studies of the Jewish catacombs, art by famous Jewish Italians such as Amedeo Modigliani, Vittorio Corcos and Giuseppe Tominz, and works by renowned Jewish writers, such as Carlo Levi.
The presence of Jews in Italy dates back to before the birth of Christ, and communities across Italy flourished in the first centuries AD, particularly in Rome.
Christianity was recognized as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD, and the growth of Christianity resulted in a fluctuation of Jewish fortunes that would continue for centuries.
Things took a downturn in 1000 AD, as the artisan guilds developed, from which Jews were barred.
Soon, Jews were only allowed to sell old clothes or act as moneylenders, although in the long run, this left many families in a solid financial position.
In 1215, Jews in the Italian states were ordered to live in separate quarters for the first time. They were also forced to wear special clothing: red or yellow hats and a cloth badge on coats for men, and a yellow veil over their hats for women.
Although these rules weren't enforced for very long, they were revived in the 16th century, when a papal bull created ghettos for Jews in the papal state. Each community could only have one synagogue, Jews lost their commercial and civil rights, and were forced to wear identification.
It was only with the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte that Jews had their rights restored to them, and the situation improved steadily until 1938, when Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ordered Jews expelled from all public services.
Many Jews left the country at this time, as well as in the aftermath of World War II, when large numbers travelled to Israel, but today there are still over 40,000 Jews in Rome and Milan alone.
The exhibit runs in Tel Aviv's Eretz Israel Museum until February 28, after which it will travel to Berlin, New York and Rome.
