Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam

The original Jewish museum was set up in 1932 in a small room at Weigh House, but most of the artifacts were confiscated and destroyed during the 1940 German invasion. The Joods Historisch Museum was re-opened in 1955 with only one-fifth of the original collection, so private collectors and even the general public came forward with contributions to add to the collection. The enlarged museum was shifted to the Ashkenazi synagogue complex, which was originally the Old Synagogue of the German Jews. A permanent exhibition illustrates the many aspects of Judaism in The Netherlands, both past and present. The central motif is the religion, culture and history of Jews in this country. Every year, the museum organizes several temporary exhibitions on specific aspects of Jewish history and culture. The themes often have an international tone like the story of the Jews in Russia, Vienna, and Brazil.