Meet the remarkable Philip DiNovo. At 92 years of age he’s an active professional (and he’s still driving!) and this year Phil celebrates 47 years as founder and president of the American Italian Heritage Museum.
Located in the town of Colonie, New York, DiNovo makes sure visitors can find the museum when he writes “We are 4.5 miles east of the Albany NY International Airport, 162 miles North from New York City, 173 miles West of Boston, 283 miles East of Buffalo and approximately 180 miles south of the Canadian border.”
No excuses accepted! Italian Americans all along the eastern seaboard can easily find what is one America’s unique cultural experiences – a bird’s eye view of Italian American and Italian American Jewish life.
That’s right – many Italian Americans, have Jewish roots in southern Italy (Calabria and Sicily) and thanks to Phil DiNovo’s vision this unique aspect of Italian Jewish heritage boasts a place of honor in the museum. Phil says, “ I know of no other Italian American museum that has a Jewish American display as part of its exhibits.” And thanks to Phil’s dedication to Italian heritage, Rabbi Barbara’s Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria (IjCCC) was invited to contribute Jewish ritual items and artifacts that highlight the unique Jewish traditions of many Italian Americans.
In addition to a library that boasts more than 2,000 books, the museum features fascinating exhibits that serve to preserve Italian heritage and culture. The museum’s aim is to honor Italian immigrants by telling their stories and highlighting their contributions. Italian history also takes center stage with a special exhibit celebrating Michelangelo’s 550th Birthday.
Phil DiNovo and Rabbi Barbara have been friends and colleagues for nearly 10 years and during that time they have shared their mutual interest in the Italian Jewish experience. As Phil says, “We had 12 rabbis at our museum to attend a talk by Lucia Kelmen on how her family was saved in Italy during World War ll. An Orthodox Jewish school brought a camera crew to the museum and exposed the students to our museum… The Jewish people are dear to my heart.”
To learn more visit the museum website at www.americanitalianmuseum.org.
In these difficult times when cross cultural and interfaith understanding is so important, consider making a donation or better yet, become a member.
