Torah Ark Curtain – Dedicatory Inscription Commemorating the Miraculous Rescue from the Earthquake on the Island of Ischia – Italy, 1883

Torah ark curtain. Ischia, Gulf of Naples, Italy, 1883.
Cotton, goldwork; embroidered silk brocade; machine-embroidered ribbons.
Embroidered dedicatory inscription: "Donated by R. Mordechai Elhaik and his wife Virginia who were saved with their two sons from the earthquake in Ischia, on the night of Motzaei Shabbat Matot, 1883."
On the night of July 28, 1883, a severe earthquake hit the volcanic island of Ischia, one of the worst in its history. Thousands of people lost their lives in this earthquake, and many more were injured.
The curtain was donated to the synagogue where Mordechai and Virginia Elhaik prayed, in commemoration of their and their two sons' rescue from the earthquake.
The Elhaik surname originates from Spain, from whence it spread to various communities. The donors of this curtain may have been Jews from North Africa (Tunisia or Morocco) who settled in Italy.
Height: 190 cm, width: 138 cm. Minor defects. Suspension loops on verso.