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December 19, 2008
Journey to Amsterdam
City's museums attract throngs of visitors daily.
EVA COHEN
Looking for a winter getaway? This bustling European city is a perfect holiday destination for any age group and has a multitude of attractions, including an amazing Jewish history. The Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam spans centuries of Jewish life, and has witnessed many ups and downs in Jewish history.
One of the foremost attractions are the Jewish museums, the most famous being the Anne Frank Museum. It is located in the centre of Amsterdam, in the very house where Frank, her family and friends hid from the Nazis during the Second World War, and where she wrote her famous diary. The original diary is on display in the house, along with other notebooks and items retrieved from the hiding quarters. The museum is quite interactive, with a multimedia space, where visitors go on a "virtual journey" through the house and access background information about those who were in hiding during the Holocaust. In addition, there is a hall that shows contemporary exhibitions.
The Anne Frank house is a popular destination for tourists from around the world and often there is a lineup throughout the day of people waiting to get in. However, there aren't many Canadian students who didn't learn about Frank's diary at some point while growing up and to see the actual place is well worth the time.
The Anne Frank house isn't the only museum of international renown within Amsterdam. The Jewish Historical Museum is also located in the heart of Amsterdam, right in the centre of the former Jewish Quarter and set among a group of four historical Ashkenazi synagogues. It is the only museum in the Netherlands to focus on Jewish history, religion and culture. There are both permanent and visiting exhibits that showcase subject matter for adults and children. The museum focuses on the role of religion and tradition, the links with Israel, the persecution of Jews during the Second World War, personal life stories and the mutual influence of Jewish and Dutch culture. Visiting exhibitions in recent years have featured varying forms of art, including photography by Sem Presser and Erwin Blumenfeld and work by artists such as Andy Warhol, Jozef Israëls and Marc Chagall. For children, there is a special bedroom in the museum called "Where Mokum is Home." Mokum is the Yiddish name for Amsterdam, and children and adults alike are immersed in different aspects of Jewish tradition in Europe through interactive presentations, including matzah baking and learning to write Hebrew letters.
The four synagogues surrounding the museum hold tremendous historical significance, especially the Great Synagogue, which is the oldest and most prestigious and which has been the subject of writings and art for centuries. The Jewish community in Amsterdam has been home to Jews of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi descent, but the Great Synagogue has an Ashkenazi background.
The Ashkenazi community of Amsterdam was founded in 1635 and, at first, there was no central place where they prayed together. However, as the pogroms in eastern Europe worsened and the steady flood of Jewish refugees increased, there became a need for a central synagogue. In 1670, a plot of land was purchased for this purpose and, the following year, the Great Synagogue was built.
The project was led by architect and contractor Elias Bouman, who later built the famous Portuguese Synagogue, which is also standing to this day. Actually, the site of the Portuguese Synagogue is magnificent. It stands on one side of Jonas Daniel Meyer Square and was constructed from 1671 to 1675, about 75 years after the first Sephardi Jews arrived in the Netherlands to escape prosecution in Spain and Portugal.
Another interesting stop is the Hollandsche Schouwburg, run by the historical museum. It was an important theatre from 1892-1941 and sits in Amsterdam's Plantage neighborhood. However, the Nazis requisitioned it during the Second World War as a point of assembly. It now stands as a monument to the 104,000 Jews who were deported from the Netherlands and killed in the concentration and extermination camps. Inside the former theatre, the memorial hall recognizes 6,700 surnames of deportees and there is also an education centre. The centre caters mainly to children and depicts the gradual isolation of Jews during Nazi occupation, and their progression to the transit camp Westerbork.
A trip through the Jewish Quarter can be done on your own, or you can opt for several of the guided tours on offer, including walking, biking and boat tours. All of the destinations can make for an absolutely jam-packed day, or several days of wandering around the quarter amid the old buildings and beautiful architecture.
The day isn't complete without a stop at one of Amsterdam's kosher restaurants. They are all under the joint supervision of the Amsterdam Ashkenazi and Sephardi rabbinates and offer selection from a pizza lunch to a proper sit-down dinner. Arsenal, Doria, La Richelle and Delphi hotels also offer the option of a kosher breakfast if ordered in advance.
Amsterdam is situated by the coast of the Netherlands and is also close to many other historical Dutch cities. The Dutch countryside is magnificent during any season, and the Jewish Quarter attractions are open year round.
Eva Cohen is a freelance writer currently residing in Leeds, England.
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