Medemblik
Jewish merchants settled in cities and towns around
the former Zuiderzee - including Medemblik - early in the
eighteenth century. In 1765, Jews living in Medemblik purchased
ground for a cemetery on the Oude Haven street at the corner of the
Bangert. The synagogue in the Gedempte Achterom dates to 1808. At
the time, the Jewish community at Medemblik was wracked by a series
of internal conflicts so severe that the municipal government
intervened and threatened to close the synagogue. Finally, the
Jewish consistory of the Zuiderzee region was able to restore
order.
The nineteenth century witnessed a gradual decline in the Jewish
population of Medemblik, although the town's Jewish population
recovered briefly at the end of the century. Despite its declining
numbers, the community succeeded in maintaining a cantor and a
religious teacher of its own. By 1867, the synagogue had fallen
into disrepair and was restored. The building was sold in
1926.
By the period between the two world wars, most of the Jews of
Medemblik had moved elsewhere. In 1942, during the German
occupation of the Netherlands, the majority of those Jews still
remaining in Medemblik were forced to move to Amsterdam. From
there, they were deported to Nazi death camps and murdered.
The Jewish community at Medemblik was dissolved in 1950 and
administratively merged into that of Enkhuizein. The former
synagogue was purchased by the municipality in 1976 and was
reopened following a complete restoration, first as a community
center and later as a gallery. Plans now exist to transfer
ownership of the former synagogue to a specially established
Stichting Synagoge Medemblik (Medemblik Synagogue
Foundation) under the aegis of which it would be used for Jewish
cultural functions and religious services. The Jewish cemetery at
Medemblik was restored in 1985 and today is maintained by the local
authorities.
Neighboring Locations
Nieuwesluis - located near
Slootdorp in the Wieringermeerpolder northwest of Medemblik - was
the site of a "labor village" opened in 1934 to provided training
in agriculture and trades to young Jewish refugees from Nazi
Germany preparing to emigrate to Palestine. A monument at the site
commemorates students from the camp arrested by the Germans in 1941
and later murdered at Mauthausen. A monument in the town hall of
the village of Andijk stands as a reminder of the help offered by
the people of the northern end of the province of North Holland to
Jews who hid in the region during the Second World War.
Jewish population of Medemblik:
| 1809 | 58 |
| 1840 | 53 |
| 1869 | 18 |
| 1899 | 45 |
| 1930 | 10 |
Collectie en mediatheek
Fotoalbum
Twee losbladige fotoalbums met 148 kleurenfoto's van joodse
begraafplaatsen in Nederland, jaren '80.
Collectie > Fotos > 40006664
Overzichtsfoto
1984
Voormalige synagoge te Medemblik, 1984.
Collectie > Fotos > 40002720
Dossier
Dossiers (158) van de Commissie voor Oorlogsschade mbt 155 joodse
gemeentes (Amsterdam en mediene), 1945-1950.
Collectie > Documenten > 00005954
meer treffers in Collectie > Documenten
Verslag van de handelingen der Permanente Commissie tot de Alg. Zaken van het Ned. Isr....
Tweede deel en slot van het jaarverslag van de Permanente Commissie
over de periode juni 1907 tot juni 1908.
Collectie > Joodse pers > 20063726
meer treffers in Collectie > Joodse pers
De joodse gemeente in Medemblik
1989
De joodse gemeente in Medemblik.
Collectie > Literatuur > 11000738
meer treffers in Collectie > Literatuur
Medemblik, de joodse gemeenschap
1993
Geschiedenis van de joodse gemeente te Medemblik.
Collectie > Audiovisueel > 40000699
