Jewish Museum

The Joods museum comes with access to the Portuguese Synagogue. Free audio guides. I thoroughly enjoyed both. About 3.5 hours for both

Fascinating history of Jewish community. Stunning Portuguese Synagogue adjacent. Lots of interesting history and Jewish people and history in Amsterdam.

A magnificent synagogue now used principally as a museum of Jewish life over the ages in Amsterdam. A fantastic visit.

The displays are great. Had fun talking with a great lady from Israel who works here. She's sweet.

Amazing museum where you have two sections: one that teaches you about Judaism through interactive audio visuals (see photos below) and another that tells you about the history of Jews in Amsterdam. Plan to spend at least a few hours here as the exhibits are truly amazing. One of the best museums I have ever been to. There is one item in particular I would not miss in the history section called a stereoscopic photo machine (first image below). It’s mesmerizing as it transports you right back to the times it depicts. I spent a good 39 minutes at this machine alone!

This museum is across the Portuguese Synagogue and if you buy the admission ticket at the Synagogue the same ticket can be used at the museum. This is in fact an old Ashkenazi Synagogue transformed into a Jewish museum. This is very, very interesting and the exhibit is also well worth visiting.

I had a wonderful time at the Joods Museum. Don't miss the children's part -- it was my favorite. Super interactive, lovely, and colourful.

Visited a photography workshop at this museum. Cool exhibit of the Photo League in New York, great lunch!

Imagine. A museum is created in 1932 to showcase Jewish history, religion, culture and customs in Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter. Eight years later, on May 10, 1940, The Netherlands is invaded by Nazi Germany. Within a week, the Dutch army surrenders. Of the 210,000 Dutch victims of WWII, 102,000 are Jews who are murdered during the Holocaust. It is 3/4 of the Jewish population of the Netherlands. Following the Nazi occupation, the museum was forced to close. Much of its original collection lost. In 1955, it reopened. It moved to its current location in 1987 occupying a square of previously unconnected abandoned synagogues in the Jewish Quarter across from the Portuguese Synagogue. Today, the four former synagogues showcase collections based on different themes. Jewish traditions and customs. Religious holidays. Daily life. History of the Jews from 1600 to the 1890s. The Holocaust. Interesting to see the Amsterdam Machzor written in Cologne in 1250. How did it survive all these years? Why did Sephardic Jews from Portugal settled in Amsterdam in 1600? See the Rintel Menorah donated to the Great Synagogue by Sarah Rintel in the 1750s. It is over a meter tall and a meter and a half wide. Visit the cafe for a taste of Dutch Jewish cuisine. The fish cake sandwich served on a seeded challah bread was delicious. Grab a few biscuits from the glass jars to go with your coffee or hot tea. Admission is part of the Joods Cultureel Kwartier ticket for 30 euros. It is also included in the I Amsterdam Card. Single museum tickets are also available for 20 euros. It is sad to think how this was once a thriving Jewish community that was devastated by the Holocaust. The Joods Historic Museum Complex is the only museum in The Netherlands dedicated to telling the history, customs and religion of the Jewish people.

The Jewish Museum is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter of Amsterdam dedicated to Jewish history, culture & religion, in the Netherlands and worldwide. It is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated to Jewish history. The museum's collection includes over 11,000 pieces of art, ceremonial and historical objects, with only some 5% displayed. There are 2 permanent exhibits that focuses on Jewish traditions & customs and the Dutch synagogue.

One of the true highlights of my first visit to Amsterdam. As others have mentioned, it's a fascinating museum regardless if you are or are not Jewish. If you aren't, it does a splendid job of explaining the significance of its many unique and compelling exhibits--without being pedantic or patronizing. But if you are Jewish, then it's an extra special treat to see a rather unusual focus on Sephardic Jewish history (the likes of which I've never seen). Additionally, the location itself--a defunct temple--is as much a part of the experience as the exhibits it houses. The Sol LeWitt exhibit (and gift shop) was also a total delight. I don't mind saying I spent quite a few Euros in it and could have easily spent more if I thought I'd have enough room in my suitcase to bring it all home!

Two 17th Century Synagogues are across the street from each other. The museum exhibits do any excellent job of explaining the history of Jews in Amsterdam and places the two Synagogue buildings in context. The brief videos throughout the museum complement the text and audio tour.

Highly recommend this museum for children whether you are Jewish or not. There are so many fun activities for the kids including arts and crafts, making challah, music and much more. Staff is very nice and welcoming too.

After visiting the huge monument dedicated to the over 102,000 Jewish People from Holland that were murdered by the Nazis,during the Holocaust,I spent an enriching day at the Jewish Museum.I learned about the history of the Jewish People in Holland from the 17th Century,Golden Age to the present day. I improved my knowledge of Jewish Customs(Circumcision,Marriage,Mourning,Burial,Jewish Holidays).I learned about the history of Amsterdam's Great Synagogue which was the house of worship for Amsterdam's Ashkenazi Jewry. I saw splendid paintings,primarily of Judaic subject matter including; Dutch Master,Emanuel de Witte's"Portuguese Synagogue,Amsterdam",Hague School Master,Josef Israel's"Jewish Wedding",Jan Voerman's"Jewish Mourning",Edouard Alexander Hilverdink's"Jewish Quarter,Amsterdam",Max Liebermann's"Sunday Market in Mostersteeg",Martin Monnickendam's"Orphan Boys",Marlene Dumas'"Ravens"and Ronald Terpstra's"Demolition of Jewish Quarter,Amsterdam",among others. The permanent collection of the Jewish Museum is housed inside the Great Synagogue.I listened to video tapes describing Jewish Life in Holland before,during,and after the Nazi Occupation of Holland by Holocaust Survivors. I saw two fine photography exhibits by Iris Hassid and Frederic Brenner.Iris Hassid's photography depicts living in Israel as a Palestinian University Student and Frederic Brenner's photography depicts Jewish Life in 21st Century Berlin. I spent quality time in Amsterdam's Portuguese Synagogue which is still in use for Jewish Religious Services.I saw its huge collection of Torahs.My day at the Jewish Museum was a very poignant experience.

Fascinating information taught in a captivating way. I loved the free self led audio tour. It taught me so much. My husband and I are Jewish, so even though we knew a lot of the basic knowledge, I still appreciated the inclusion for people who are not. I also picked up a lot of little things I didn't know. The museum also does a great job at covering the lives of Jews in Amsterdam. My favorite part of the museum was watching videos of Jews talking about their lives. It was interesting and insightful. My husband and I ended up watching almost every single one of them. It is devastating to think about how many Jews were present in Amsterdam before World War II versus how few there are now. This museum does a great job at preserving their history.

Across the street from the Portuguese Synagogue stands the Jewish History Museum. The museum combines 4 Ashkenazi synagogue buildings dating from 1671 to 1778. A more detailed history can be read here: http://www.jhm.nl/culture-and-history/buildings The museum has a huge collection of art, ceremonial objects and historical artifacts, more than 13,000 items, only 5% of which are displayed permanently. The rest are stored and shown in temporary exhibits or lent to other museums. They can be searched and viewed on the website, which is pretty cool. As is the case generally, commentary on objects on display is in Dutch and in English. Audioguides are also available. Some of the most beautifully detailed silver Torah dressings I've ever seen were on display, pointers and finials and shields. Histories of some of the influential early Jewish families of Amsterdam are given and portraits show us some of them. Both Alan and I were surprised to learn of the abject poverty of many of the Dutch Jews of the 16th and 17th centuries. We're accustomed to thinking of Jews as comfortable, if not wealthy. Historical figures such as the philosopher Baruch Spinoza and Shabbetai Zvi, the Turkish false messiah whose conversion to Islam in 1666 was the catalyst for the building of the Portuguese Synagogue, were also profiled. In addition, video commentaries and interviews about contemporary Jewish life, thought and practice were available for viewing. Most of the people whose videos I observed were Orthodox, far more observant than I, and more than a little foreign to me. I'm uncomfortable w/ orthodoxy of any variety and the view and treatment of women in Jewish orthodoxy offends my egalitarian sensibilities. A separate section addressed the events of WWII and following, w/ video interviews and displays of personal artifacts. It was an engaging and thought provoking exhibit. After yesterday at the Anne Frank House, I spent little time w/ the tragic displays and more w/ the contemporary ones, particularly one in which several people discussed their views of themselves as Jews vs. Dutch men and women, their relationship to Israel and whether they had considered emigrating. All in all, it was an interesting museum.

To my surprise my guidebook wrote that this is a highlight museum in Amsterdam. This one is a little different than the Jewish Museum we have out here in San Francisco. Instead of merely celebrating judaism, this museum has a different sort of audience. Constructed out of the remains of four synagogues, it explains Judaism to the public. The collection of Judaica is excellent and the museum uses these objects to describe jewish practices. Most importantly, this museum teaches you the history of the Jewish people in the Netherlands - from their arrival during the spanish inquisition to their slaughter at the hands of the Nazis. I got a lot out of my visit. I hope others will too.

We've been to this museum several times over the years, since they're only able to display a small portion of the collection at any one time. The interior is lovely and nicely laid-out. Also, the bookstore has a very good selection and I recommend having lunch in the café.

It was raining and we needed to find a refuge inside. Here's some highlights: 1. The first part is helpful for people without much knowledge of Jewish custom/holidays. It was an overview of holidays, traditions, and history. 2. The second part goes over Jews in the Netherlands. 3. The third part is all about Amsterdam and more present-day history. This part has a ton of interesting historical objects. 4. The fourth part is a rotating exhibit. When we were there, we saw a gorgeous photo exhibit of Jews in the US, Europe, Israel from the 30s-60s. I got a tin of Max the Matzo in the gift shop. He's apparently the mascot of the children's museum. He's the best!

This museum is awesome and is a must-visit for any trip to Amsterdam! The exhibits serve to explain the various aspects of Judaism and help the public understand it. Growing up in Brooklyn, I had a general understanding of what the rules were but these exhibits really go into depth about the rituals and why they are done. It gave me a much better understanding and appreciation of Jewish traditions. The exhibitions were very interactive, often providing actual interviews with Jewish people and them giving their views. In the basement, there was an amazing photo exhibition capturing the contrast between the modern world and these ancient traditions. Across the street is the Portuguese Synagogue (which your ticket also allows admission to). It was incredible to see!

Part of a 3-part ticket w the synagogue and the memorial. Included in iamsterdam card

Fabulous museum . I particularly wanted to come to see the special exhibit of soviet photography and movies and it was indeed spectacular. The book that goes with it a bit disappointing though as photo quality not great

Very informative look at Dutch and Amsterdam Jewish history. We didn't think this museum would take long but ended up taking 2 hours and we only watched one of the videos at the end. The ticket also gets you into the Portuguese Synagogue across the street, which I thought was one of the highlights, so don't miss it!

The history of the Jews in Amsterdam. Huge collection of historical Judaica.

I'm jealous of some of the reviews on here mentioning a lot of historical artifacts and information. While there was a room with some artifacts during my visit, I didn't encounter the history other reviews have mentioned and the two main displays were on a designer who seems to have been big in the 1960's (his name escapes me at the moment, but there were photos that looked like Austin Powers meets Sonny Bono) and a well-publicized exhibit on Amy Winehouse. Her brother put together a collection of photos, wardrobes from shows, video clips and the family history and pics of grandma and other influential members of the family. One of the videos really captured both Amy's talent and substance abuse. She was belting out a song but slurring a few words and her eyes didn't seem able to focus. I don't really know her music and I wouldn't say I was a fan, but you can't watch that video knowing she is dead and not feel like it all was a tremendous waste. There is a sadness in this show, a brother missing his sister and a hole in a family that lost a daughter too soon. I don't know how strongly Amy identified with being Jewish or if that influenced her career. While the name-brand value of a star who died from substance abuse problems is still capable of grabbing some publicity for a museum show, it is also the story of lots of families who have lost someone too early. I walked away feeling that loss for that family more than anything else. To that end, it was a powerful exhibit, which was surprising given how little was really presented. It was enough to convey the loss to the viewer.

If you spend enough time traveling in Europe and are Jewish or interested in history you tend to find yourself at a Jewish museum now and then. I'd say this one is worth a trip if you are interested at all in the Dutch story since the setting in the Synagogue is nice and there is quite a bit of artifacts and historical materials such as paintings to supplement the (Dutch and English) narratives. Probably not that interesting for kids, though.