Bet Hamidrash Ets Haim
Rapenburgerstraat 109
At number 109 on Rapenburgerstraat in the former
Jewish quarter stands the imposing building once home to Bet
Hamidrash Ets Haim (Study House of the Tree of Life).
In 1740 the Ashkenazi community founded this 'school' for the study of Torah and other religious texts. Initially, the school was in the Dritt Shul on J.D. Meyer Square, but in 1883 it moved to Rapenburgerstraat, to a building designed in an eclectic style by the father & son team, architects Salm.
On the imposing front façade, the building's date of
construction is written according to the Hebrew calendar: 5643 (CE
1883). When the building was opened, the Jewish newspaper Nieuw
Israëlietisch Weekblad (NIW) wrote:
The main auditorium, also functioning
as synagogue, is a joy to behold. In particular, the Holy Ark has a
majestic appearance. The brass gas-lit chandeliers are a veritable
pièce de résistance…
The newspaper went on to praise the study room for rabbis, the
study rooms for public use, the library and the assembly room. The
building was bought in 1973 by the chair of the Amsterdam Jewish
Community, who had it fundamentally renovated. Then in 1985 the
newspaper NIW, the oldest weekly in the Netherlands dating back to
1865, moved onto the first floor.
In 2004 the NIW newspaper moved out, to an office in nearby
Amstelveen
Collectie en mediatheek
[Binnenland] : [In Memoriam]
1905
Bericht van het overlijden en van de begrafenis van Abraham Rodrigues de Miranda.
Collectie > Joodse pers > 20058358
