Aalten
The first documented presence of Jewish inhabitants in Aalten
and Bredevoort dates to the seventeenth century. Until the
Napoleonic era, the Jewish community was limited to four families
residing in the side streets of Aalten. In 1767, a synagogue was
established in a former private residence. Prior to then, religious
services were held in a synagogue in a private house in Bredevoort.
By 1850, the Jewish population of Aalten and Bredevoort had grown
to the point where a new synagogue was needed. This building,
located on the Stationsstraat, was formally inaugurated in 1857.
The cemetery of the Jewish community of Aalten was located in a
wooded area on the Haatsestraat. The cemetery officially became the
property of the Jewish community in 1852 but was probably already
in use as early as 1820.
In 1900, the Jewish community of Bredevoort was merged into the
Aalten community. Community leadership consisted of three members.
Community facilities included a religious school with one teacher
and a ritual bath. Community organizations included a burial
society for men and a women's society providing help to the sick
and deceased.
The majority of the Jews of Aalten belonged to the
middle class and worked as kosher butchers or cattle traders. A
building housing a factory belonging to pipe manufacturer Marcus
Gans stood on the Haartsestraat until 1917.
During the 1930s, the Jewish population of Aalten increased as
refugees arrived from Germany. During the Nazi occupation, the Jews
of Aalten, like Jews throughout the Netherlands, were isolated and
then deported. The first deportations to the concentration camp at
Westerbork took place in 1942. The rest of the Jews of Aalten were
forced to leave their homes in 1943. Slightly more than half of the
Jews of Aalten survived the war by going into hiding; the rest were
deported to the Nazi death camps and murdered.
During the occupation, Aalten offered refuge to both Jews and
non-Jews seeking to hide from the Germans. At one point, Aalten hid
2,500 Jews and non-Jews amidst its population of 13,000. Many of
those in hiding were assisted with money collected by the members
of the local Dutch Reformed Church.
Two attempts were made during the war to set fire to the
synagogue of Aalten. The interior of the building was damaged but
the Torah rolls and other ritual objects were saved. The Jewish
cemetery of Aalten also was vandalized during the war.
Following restoration during the 1950s and again during the 1980s,
the Aalten synagogue was inaugurated anew in 1986. The synagogue
now serves both religious and cultural functions. Each year, the
small but active Jewish community of Aalten organizes a heavily
attended Chanukah service.
In December, 2000, during the celebration of the 150th
anniversary of the Aalten synagogue, a plaque bearing the names of
the Jews of Aalten murdered during the Second World War was
unveiled on the wall of the synagogue.
A new Torah scroll, written in Israel by Josef Giat was
dedicated in June 2005.
The Jewish population of Aalten:
| 1809 | 39 |
| 1840 | 101 |
| 1869 | 63 |
| 1930 | 69 |
| 1951 | 30 |
| 1971 | 31 |
| 1998 | 10 |
Collectie en mediatheek
Dossier
Dossiers (158) van de Commissie voor Oorlogsschade mbt 155 joodse
gemeentes (Amsterdam en mediene), 1945-1950.
Collectie > Documenten > 00005954
Album amicorum
1845-1854
Album amicorum van Mina Cohen uit Groningen, 1879-1881.
Collectie > Documenten > 00010708
[Naamlijst Centraal Israelietisch Weeshuis Utrecht, de leden van de commissie van...
Naamlijst in gouden letters op zwart bord; ingelijst in houten lijst met gedecoreerde
rand met bloemdecoraties in de hoeken en in het midden.
Collectie > Museumstukken > 06742-02
[Naamlijst Centraal Israelietisch Weeshuis Utrecht, leden van de commissie van toezicht]
Naamlijst in gouden letters op zwart bord; ingelijst in houten lijst met gedecoreerde
rand met bloemdecoraties in de hoeken en in het midden.
Collectie > Museumstukken > 06742-03
Groepsfoto
1910-1920
Leden van het Joods Studentendispuut "Theodoor Herzl", Leiden, circa 1910-1920.
Collectie > Fotos > 40000073
meer treffers in Collectie > Fotos
Buitengewone Zitting der Centrale Commissie op Donderdag 7 Maart 1881.
1881
Verslag van een buitengewone vergadering van de Centrale Commissie over de vraag
van de gemeente te Arnhem de zetel van de ressortale opperrabbijn in Arnhem in ...
Collectie > Joodse pers > 20026393
meer treffers in Collectie > Joodse pers
Joodse oorlogsmonumenten in de provincie Gelderland : alsmede algemene...
2005
Joodse oorlogsmonumenten in de provincie Gelderland : alsmede algemene
oorlogsmonumenten waarop joodse namen voorkomen.
Collectie > Literatuur > 12013463
meer treffers in Collectie > Literatuur
[Opening van fototentoonstelling in Aalten over 3000 jaar Jeruzalem]
titel, [Opening van fototentoonstelling in Aalten over 3000 jaar Jeruzalem]. maker,
Gelder, Sallo van. gegevens, geluidscassette, ? min. - sn,. ...
Collectie > Audiovisueel > 10000481
