11 Things to See and Do in the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam

In Amsterdam, the area between Nieuwmarkt and Plantage was historically known as Jodenbuurt (the Jewish Quarter). This quarter contains many buildings of historical importance and is managed by The Jewish Cultural Quarter, an organisation dedicated to the preservation of Jewish culture within Amsterdam.

You can access all of these buildings with a single ticket purchased at any ticket office associated with the Jewish Cultural Quarter.

Booking tickets for the Rembrandt House has to be on your Amsterdam bucket list. This 17th century property of the famous Dutch painter is located on the street that used to be the centre of Jewish life and features an exhibition about the artist's life and times and an interesting collection of his paintings and prints.

The mansion was built in 1607 and, before Rembrandt, had housed several artists and merchants. The artist himself acquired the property in 1639. I recommend you set aside some time to go into the small museum shop, as you can find some reasonably priced souvenirs. The house-museum is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm.

It is also the house where the artist had lived and worked for almost two decades and where he made his magnificent work The Night Watch, which you can see if you take a guided tour of the Rijksmuseum, another must-see museum. Although the painter was not Jewish, his paintings often reflect his life among the Jews: scenes from the Old Testament and many portraits of Amsterdam Jews.

Housed in a complex of four Ashkenazi synagogues dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, this is the main museum in the Jewish Cultural Quarter and one of Amsterdam's most important museums. It is less focused on the Holocaust and more on aspects of Jewish life and the relationship of the community and the city, being the only Jewish historical museum in the whole country to hold some of the community's most important documents and manuscripts.

Known as 'Mokum' in Hebrew, Amsterdam was a haven for Jews, where Jewish communities such as the Sephardim from the Iberian Peninsula and Ashkenazim from Central and Eastern Europe sought refuge. Although part of the same ethnic group, these two communities differed greatly in terms of economic and status. This is one of the themes of the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam.

If you are interested in Jewish culture, you are obliged to book your ticket to the Jewish Museum As for opening hours, it is open every day from 11 am to 5 pm. On Saturday and Sunday there is usually a market in the adjacent square. Here is an article about Amsterdam' s means of transport to show you how to get there.

And of course you must book an Anne Frank tour of the Jewish Quarter on your trip, where you will explore the Jewish Quarter and the story of Anne Frank during World War II with a professional guide who will tell you everything you need to know about the time when the city was under German rule.

You will also explore the Jodenbuurt and Jordaan neighbourhoods and pass by the Jewish Historical Museum and the Anne Frank House on this fantastic and moving tour that will take you deeper into this dark episode of history.

Gassan Diamonds is an imposing brick building dating from 1897. The one-hour multilingual tours include a visit to the diamond cutting and polishing areas, as well as a look at Gassan's glittering collection of watches, diamonds and jewellery. You can book a tour of the Gassan Diamonds diamond factory, the building daily from 9am to 5.30pm.

Before World War II, many local Jews worked as diamond cutters and polishers. It was once the largest diamond polishing factory in the world and the first to use steam power.

Round windows with the Star of David adorn the elegant Uilenburger Synagogue dating from 1766. Amsterdam's Sephardic community was one of the wealthiest in Europe during the Dutch Golden Age, and this wealth is reflected in this grand synagogue, which is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the Jewish Quarter.

Admission costs 15 euros, and also allows you to visit other buildings in the neighbourhood. Opening hours are from 10am to 5pm every day except Saturday.

Interestingly, this synagogue in the heart of the Jewish Quarter replaced a 1724 prayer house. Synagogue services, musical performances and other organised gatherings take place here. Usually on Friday evenings, Saturday mornings and public holidays.

One of the few survivors of the entire development along St Antoniebreestraat is the Pintohuis, now a public library. Easily visible from its Italianate façade, it is named after Isaac de Pinto, a Sephardic Jew who fled Portugal to escape the Inquisition and later became a founder of the Dutch East India Company.

If you book a tour of the Jewish quarter, I recommend you visit. Admission is free and it is open Monday to Friday from 10:30am to 5:30pm, and on Saturdays from 1pm to 5pm.

Pinto bought the property in 1651 and quickly remodelled it in great style. The mansion was the pearl of the city, even more so when Pinto traced the interior in a style never seen before: as you enter you can admire the beautiful frescoes on the ceiling, with lots of gold and birds drawn on it. There are also more recent additions at the entrance, such as the little cherub reading a book.

Visiting the second oldest synagogue in Europe is a real treat. The entrance ticket also gives you access to the Jewish Historical Museum across the street. The synagogue is open from Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 4pm and on Fridays from 10am to 3pm and I recommend you visit it if you book a tour of Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter.

I advise you not to skip the less main areas of the building (meeting room, winter synagogue, bathrooms, office, candle room, mourning room, rabbinate, etc.), as they show much more than you might think. Also be sure to go downstairs to visit the treasure chambers which house some items such as 19th century manuscripts or gold thread tapestries. You can also check out a number of books belonging to the oldest Jewish library in the world.

The option to enjoy religious freedom is what brought most Jews from all over Europe to Amsterdam. The city gained a reputation for being tolerant and offering equal rights to people of all communities, and so a century later, in 1665, the Portuguese Synagogue was built. Also known as the Esnoga, at the time it was the largest synagogue in the world, having been inspired by Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.

Outside the Portuguese synagogue, standing in a small square, is the statue of the dockworker, by Dutch sculptor Mari Andriessen. This statue honours the workers of Amsterdam, especially those who went on strike in February to protest against the Nazi treatment of the city's Jews.

To give you an idea of the significance of this statue, on 26 February, 300,000 people joined the protests. On the third day, the strike was harshly suppressed by the Germans, but it is still commemorated every 25 February with an annual wreath-laying ceremony near the dock worker statue.

An event you should attend if you visit Amsterdam in February. All political parties, as well as the city's public transport authorities and Holocaust survivor organisations, participate in the remembrance.

If you book a tour of Amsterdam's Jewish quarter, this museum is worth a visit, as it has an important story to tell. It focuses on how Jewish children (up to the age of 12) had to wait, separated from their parents, for deportation. It is open daily from 11am to 5pm.

Visiting the Holocaust Museum is a very moving experience, as it has objects belonging to young children along with their stories. There is also an exhibition of photographs, most of which were found years after the war in personal collections or antique shops. Many stories are shared through these photos and accompanying documents. More than 104,000 Dutch Jewish individuals did not survive the war.

Across the street, you can see the National Holocaust Memorial, which lists all the identified victims of genocide in the Netherlands. A tall, elegant spire sits on top of the Jewish star, which is the centrepiece of the memorial.

The Waterlooplein Flea Market is one of those destinations you should not miss if you take a tour of Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter. It is one of the most interesting places and one of the oldest markets in the city. Many items can be found at numerous stalls, and prices vary from stall to stall. The market is open from Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 6pm.

You can find everything from the most fashionable attire and old military uniforms to jewellery, antiques and electronics. You can even get great deals on tattoos - there's nothing this flea market doesn't have. With over 300 stalls, it's big enough to see the whole thing in just a few minutes. So make sure you set aside enough time for your visit.

From a historical point of view it was built in the early 19th century and was the most successful Jewish market in the city until World War II, when the Jews were banished. After the war, the market was revived and has since become one of Amsterdam's main tourist attractions. For more information about the market, visit the following website.

The Hollandsche Chouwbusrg, once a popular theatre, was one of the most brilliant venues for the performing arts, staging well-known plays and dramas. However, after the Nazi occupation, it became a place of tragedy for Jewish families. Today, you can visit it free of charge, as it tells two different stories: the heyday of the Jewish community and the decline after the German invasion.

After World War II, the theatre's plight did not improve. Due to protests, the glory of this magnificent theatre never recovered. In 1960, the building was converted into a memorial in honour of all the Jews who were lost in the Holocaust.

The place that once housed the former stage now bears a reflection of the tragic Jewish persecution. In 1993, a memorial chapel was installed that mentions more than 6,700 families, approximately 104,000 Dutch Jewish individuals. A must-see if you book a tour of Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter.