Tour of the Jewish Cultural Quarters

• Take a stroll through the streets of Amsterdam’s Jewish Cultural Quarter.

• Visit the Jewish Heritage Museum, the stately Portuguese Synagogues, the National Holocaust Memorial and the National Holocaust Museum- all with just one ticket.

• At the Jewish Historical Museum, experience the Jewish history of the Netherlands while your children learn about Jewish culture in a replica of a typical family house.

• Visit the magnificent Portuguese Synagogue with the oldest functioning Jewish library in the world, which is included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

Amsterdam has historically been the centre for the Dutch Jewish community and has had a continuing Jewish community for more than 350 years, as can be seen by its nickname ‘Mokum’, the Yiddish word for endearment. No trip to Amsterdam can be complete without a visit to the many stunning synagogues, buildings and impressive memorials that grace the streets of the old Jewish quarter. Learning about the rich Jewish traditions and culture is imperative to learning about Amsterdam’s history and heritage. In the heart of Amsterdam’s old Jewish neighbourhood, in an area of less than one square kilometre, lies the Jewish Cultural Quarter.

Take a unique look at Jewish life in the Netherlands at the Jewish Historical Museum. Housed in four monumental synagogues, this modern, trendsetting museum offers a large multimedia collection. Ranging from paintings to films and from everyday objects to 3D presentations, the museum gives you the chance to experience Jewish life- the past and present in all its complexity.

Set up as a Jewish family home with six rooms, the JHM Children’s Museum is a place for children aged 6-12 to learn about Jewish culture through fun and games. Children can bake rolls in the kosher kitchen, learn Hebrew in the study or make music in the music room. Every week the museum hosts various activities like workshops and birthday parties, which you can check on the museum website.

At the heart of the Jewish Cultural Quarter lies a stately building from 1675- the Portuguese Synagogue. With its centuries-old library, ‘Ets Haim Livraria Montezinos’, the Synagogue is still used as a place of worship but is also open to the public. The 17th-century interior is still intact and fully illuminated by hundreds of candles.

Used as a deportation centre for Jews during the World War Two, the Hollandsche Schouwburg is now a memorial site. This former theatre, where tens of thousands of men, women and children were held before being deported to concentration and extermination camps, now houses a wall of names commemorating the Jewish victims.

The National Holocaust Museum is a former teacher training school where hundreds of Jewish children held captive in the creche next door were smuggled to safety. At this historic site, the story of the Holocaust is told in temporary exhibitions and events- in an artistic form and based on personal accounts.

Jewish Historical Museum

Open daily: 11 am - 5 pm

Closed: King’s Day, Rosh Hashanah(Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur(the Day of Atonement)

Portuguese Synagogue

Open Sunday - Friday: From 10 am

Closed: Saturday, King’s Day, Jewish Holidays and during special events

National Holocaust Memorial

Open daily: 11 am - 5 pm

Closed: King’s Day, Rosh Hashanah(Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur(the Day of Atonement)

National Holocaust Museum

Open daily: 11 am - 5 pm

Closed: King’s Day, Rosh Hashanah(Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur(the Day of Atonement)