Enschede
Contemporary evidence indicates that Jews resided in Enschede
from the middle of the seventeenth century on. Due to local
policies restricting Jewish settlement, their numbers grew slowly
during the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, by 1748, Jewish
religious services were being held in a private residence.
After the introduction of civil equality throughout the
Netherlands in 1796, the Jewish population of Enschede increased.
Religious services moved to a rented room in the Walstraat. By
1834, the community had grown to the point that a synagogue was
built on the Achterstraat. This synagogue was financed in part by
contributions from non-Jews. In 1862, the synagogue was destroyed
by a fire that swept through Enschede. A new and larger synagogue
was consecrated on the Stadsgravenstraat in 1865. The Enschede
community continued to grow during the late-nineteenth and
early-twentieth centuries and, by the 1920's, a larger synagogue
was required once again. In 1928, the Prinsenstraat synagogue was
consecrated. This domed synagogue, designed by architect K.P.C. de
Bazel, is still in use.
The first cemetery used by the Jews
of Enschede was located on the Molenstraat. The cemetery ceased to
be used in 1841 and was cleared away in 1947. Between 1841 and
1927, the community buried its dead in a cemetery on the Kneedweg.
A new cemetery was opened on the Noord Esmarkerrondweg in
1928.
During the nineteenth century, the majority of the Jews of
Enschede worked in trade and banking. Many lived in extreme
poverty. During Enschede's boom years of economic development at
the end of the nineteenth century, Jewish families including Menko,
Menco, Frankenhuis, and Van Dam controlled important shares of the
local weaving industry and manufacturing of textiles and
clothing.
Voluntary organizations within the Enschede community included a
synagogue council, a council for aid to the poor, and a number of
charitable, cultural, and athletic organizations. Little is known
about Jewish education in Enschede during the nineteenth century
but, by the 1920's, the Enschede community maintained a religious
school serving almost 100 pupils. Between the two World Wars
several Zionist organizations took root in Enschede and
surroundings. During the 1930's, Enschede's Comité Duitsche
Vluchtelingen (Committee for German Refugees) provided material and
spiritual succor for victims of Nazi persecution.
At the outset of the German occupation of the Netherlands during
the Second World War, a number of voices in Enschede - including
those of the mayor and some members of the clergy - rose in protest
against anti-Jewish measures. At first, the police declined to
participate in the deportation of Jews. Nevertheless, in the end
the situation of Jews in Enschede was no better than elsewhere.
Following the expulsion of Jewish children from local public
schools, Jewish elementary and high schools were opened in
Enschede. Round-ups of Jews for deportation began in October of
1942. During 1942 and 1943 more than half the Jews of Enschede were
deported. Few survived the concentration camps, however a
relatively large percentage of local Jews succeeded in hiding and
avoiding deportation. The latter were saved with the help of the
local Jewish Council and members of the Dutch resistance.
The Prinsenstraat synagogue came
through the war undamaged. Today, its vestibule contains a plaque
in memory of the more than 700 Jews of Enschede and surroundings
murdered during the war. A number of other memorials elsewhere in
the city keep the memories of the victims alive. For a short time
after the war, the Menko-Van Dam House, one of two mansions on the
Trompstraat designed by the architect K.P.C. de Bazel, served as a
halfway-house for Jews returning from concentration camps and
hiding places. From 1962 until the 1980's it was used by the Jewish
community as an old age home.
During the post-war years, the Jewish communities of Enschede, Goor, and Oldenzaal were fused
into one. Recently, the communities of Enschede, Almelo, and Hengelo have been
united in the Cultureel Samenwerkingsverband Twente (Cultural
Cooperation Alliance of the Province of Twente). During the 1970's,
a Liberal (Reformed) community was established in the province. A
variety of other Jewish religious, social, and cultural
organizations are also active in the region. Not least, Enschede is
the home of the Netherland's sole remaining matzoh factory.
In 1998, a committee was formed for the preservation of the
Prinsenstraat synagogue. The building was awarded national
historical monument status soon thereafter. A major restoration of
the synagogue under the supervision of the Rijksdienst Voor
Monumentenzorg, the Netherlands' national monuments preservation
agency, began in 2001. The reopening of the synagogue in April,
2004 was well attended by dignitaries and the general public.
Jewish population of Enschede and surroundings:
| 1748 | 14 |
| 1809 | 30 |
| 1840 | 119 |
| 1869 | 321 |
| 1899 | 757 |
| 1930 | 931 |
| 1951 | 425 |
| 1971 | 193 |
| 1998 | 70 |
Collectie en mediatheek
Brief
1940-1941
Brieven (8) v. Joyce Rozendaal aan haar fam. in Engeland tijdens WO II, 1940-41.
Collectie > Documenten > 00006478
meer treffers in Collectie > Documenten
Fotoalbum
Twee losbladige fotoalbums met 148 kleurenfoto's van joodse
begraafplaatsen in Nederland, jaren '80.
Collectie > Fotos > 40006664
meer treffers in Collectie > Fotos
Sluitzegel
Sluitzegel in de vorm van een matze.
Collectie > Museumstukken > 07081
meer treffers in Collectie > Museumstukken
[Binnenland] : Amsterdam
Vermelding van benoemingen met betrekking tot de Ned. Isr. schoolbesturen.
Collectie > Joodse pers > 20031385
meer treffers in Collectie > Joodse pers
Inventaris van het archief Isidoor van Dam, Enschede
s.a.
Inventaris van het archief Isidoor van Dam, Enschede.
Collectie > Literatuur > 11500076
meer treffers in Collectie > Literatuur
Joodse Ondernemers
1930-1940
titel, Joodse Ondernemers. gegevens, VIDEO, 41 min. - sn, 1930=1940. annotatie,
8 filmpjes van joodse ondernemingen. Deze filmpjes zijn ...
Collectie > Audiovisueel > 40000741
