Amsterdam's hospitality
Jews still thrive in Holland's liberal culture
With the exception of the period from 1941-45, no city in Europe has been as hospitable to Jews in the past 400 years as Amsterdam. And probably no other European city has benefited as much as Amsterdam from the world-wide trading connections and professional know-how of the Jewish population.While Jews were said to have been in The Netherlands as early as the 12th century, large numbers of Jews did not arrive there until the Spanish Inquisition in the late 15th century. These Sephardic (Spanish & Portuguese) Jews were joined in the early 17th century by Ashkenazi refugees from Germany and Eastern Europe.
Unlike the situation that prevailed elsewhere in Europe where Jews were confined to ghettos, the Jews of Amsterdam lived in a Jewish Quarter where they were free to come and go at will and in which Christians could also live if they wished. One consequence of this was that Jewish merchants contributed handsomely to the elevation of Amsterdam to a world trading center.
Jews also participated in professions such as medicine and law and became prominent in businesses including tobacco, sugar refining and printing. Most importantly, they established the diamond industry.
During the 16th and early 17th centuries, a period sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age," the Jews of Amsterdam established communal institutions and synagogues. While the Jewish Quarter was largely destroyed during the Nazi occupation, the "Snoga" or Sephardic synagogue still remains in use there. It has been in almost continual use since 1672 and is known for its magnificent interior, its sand covered floor and its library which contains some of the scholarly works from the Golden Age.
The Jewish Historical Museum is today the center of Jewish culture in Amsterdam. It is located in a complex of buildings including the Great Shul (1670), the Obbense Shul (1672), the Dritt Shul (1700) and the Neie Shul (1730). Additionally, a mikvah is also located in the complex.
The Anne Frank House at Prinsengracht 263 is undoubtedly the best known and most visited site in Amsterdam. It is in that house where Anne lived with her parents and the Van Dam family for two years prior to her deportation to the Belsen-Bergen extermination camp, and where she wrote her famous diary.
Much of the house remains as it was when Anne and the others lived there. Posters of 1940s movie stars still adorn the walls of her bedroom and the kitchen walls still bear the pencil marks placed there to mark the children's growth. Even now, more than 60 years later, a visit to the Anne Frank House is a profoundly moving experience.
While Amsterdam is the principal city and capital of a modern and sophisticated nation, the heart of the city remains much as it was two centuries ago. Often called "the Venice of the North," Amsterdam is a city of canals and one of the best ways to see it is aboard one of the city's many sightseeing yachts. The downtown shopping streets are narrow and crowded with people, but are nevertheless great fun and have a large number of shops featuring rare antiques and jewelry.
Due perhaps to the rather wet and dreary weather Holland experiences during much of the year, many of Amsterdam's restaurants and pubs are especially cozy and offer a hearty, uncomplicated cuisine.
Although Holland is a small country, it was a major colonial power for several centuries, with Indonesia as its principal overseas possession. As a result, the Dutch developed a taste for the exotic and spicy cuisine of the East Indies and you will find many excellent Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam.
Holland has also been one of the world's most liberal and welcoming countries. You will notice this in the huge number of foreigners, including Moslems, who have settled there, as well as in the ready availability of marijuana and other narcotics.
Prior to World War II, Amsterdam had a Jewish population of about 80,000 or 10 percent of its entire population. Today, the Jewish population numbers around 25,000 and there are several synagogues ranging from Orthodox to Progressive. The Jewish community has established its own schools and health services and there are also annual Jewish Film and Jewish Music Festivals. There are two kosher restaurants: Pinto and King Solomon.
Peter L. Rothholz is a former public relations, touring company and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines executive. He and his wife have traveled extensively and live in East Hampton, N.Y., and Santa Monica, Calif.
