The cruciform synagogue and Star of David-bedecked church

Among many proliferating Florentine architectural dialogues, this one features an intriguing interfaith wrinkle.

Public sculptures vie often for positioning in Florence, waging proxy battles on behalf of their feuding creators. One example is Bartolomeo Ammannati’s “Neptune” in the Piazza della Signoria fountain, said to face intentionally the spot where its rival Michelangelo’s “David” stood: Which would blink first? At the church Orsanmichele, one-upmanship abou…