The Artisans’ Friendly Society
Nieuwe Achtergracht 140-144
The Artisans' Friendly Society has been housed in a building at numbers 140-144 Nieuwe Achtergracht since 1925. The aim of this society (Dutch: HWV), founded in 1869, was to encourage the emancipation of Jewish artisans working in Amsterdam. Besides coping with social problems, the society tried to improve the general standard of education of the working class - as later the ANDB would also do.
Courses were given in the building of the Friendly
Society and lectures were held in the library. An important
initiative of the HWV was the setting up of a system of health
care: in 1895 they founded the health service Ziekenzorg. This
meant that needy Jewish workers were no longer dependent on charity
provided by the Jewish community. Another important action was the
housing cooperative set up in 1912, which, for instance, put up
dwellings in Amsterdam's Transvaal neighbourhood. In the book
Memories of Jewish Amsterdam (1978), Liesbeth van Weezel
recalls:
'Later, when the neighbourhoods of Uilenburg and Marken were cleaned up and much of the housing there pulled down, the Artisans' Friendly Society put up big blocks of houses. This meant the Jewish popular way of life emigrated to our neighbourhood. This would have been in the streets behind what was known as the 'Golden Rim', like Retiefstraat and the little side streets. That's where the chicken farmers would come on Friday evenings, and we would gather round their carts, and that's how we learnt Amsterdam Yiddish.'
The building on Nieuwe Achtergracht was also used for parties and meetings. For instance, on 14 March 1909, the 'Tribunists', a splinter-group of the Dutch Labour Party (SDAP), founded the Social Democratic Party, predecessor of the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN). The building was taken over shortly after the end of World War II by the Kriterion Cinema, founded by students who had been members of the Amsterdam students' resistance group during the war. Today the cinema's name shines down from the front of the building on Roetersstraat, while the original name may still be seen on the building's wall on Nieuwe Achtergracht.
Collectie en mediatheek
Plaquette
1937
herinneringsplaquette van de bouwstichting der Handwerkers Vriendenkring uit 1937.
Collectie > Museumstukken > 07183
Prentbriefkaart
1925 (ca.)
Prentbriefkaart van het gebouw van de Handwerkers Vriendenkring
in de Roetersstraat in Amsterdam, circa 1925.
Collectie > Fotos > 40007011
Groepsfoto
1910 (ca.)
Simon Blitz voor zijn bakkerij "Handwerkers Vriendenkring", circa 1910.
Collectie > Fotos > 40001609
Programma ter gelegenheid van het Chanuka-Feest voor de leerlingen der Port....
1921-12-29
Programma tgv chanoeka-feest in Handwerkersvriendenkring, 1921.
Collectie > Documenten > 00007903
meer treffers in Collectie > Documenten
[Binnenland] : Genootschap "De Liefdadigheid".
1903
Verslag van de jaarvergadering van het genootschap "De Liefdadigheid".
Tevens gedenkt zij haar veertigjarige bestaan.
Collectie > Joodse pers > 20052547
meer treffers in Collectie > Joodse pers
Handwerkers Vriendenkring, 1869-1942 : belangenbehartiging, ziekenzorg, woningbouw
1998
Handwerkers Vriendenkring, 1869-1942 : belangenbehartiging, ziekenzorg, woningbouw.
Collectie > Literatuur > 12006920
