Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel

Beth Haim
בית חיים
Grave markers in the cemetery's southwestern corner, facing Ouderkerk's historic drawbridge over the Bullewijk branch of the Amstel, 2005
Map
Details
Established1614; 411 years ago (1614)
Location
Ouderkerk aan de Amstel
CountryNetherlands
Coordinates52°17′43″N 4°54′15″E / 52.29528°N 4.90417°E / 52.29528; 4.90417
TypeJewish
Size4 hectares (9.9 acres)
No. of interments28,000+
Websitewww.bethhaim.nl
Designated15 December 1970
Reference no.31967

The Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel[a] is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands.[2]

History

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Abraham Blooteling after Jacob van Ruisdael, Begraef-plaets der Joden, buyten Amsteldam (Jewish Cemetery outside Amsterdam), 1670, etching on laid paper; sheet size: 20.8 x 27.8 cm (8 3/16 x 10 15/16 in.). National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1999.64.1
Jewish Cemetery, outside Amsterdam, c. 1670 etching print

The land was purchased for use as a burying ground by the Jewish community of Amsterdam in 1614 and is located in the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, in the countryside near Amsterdam.[3]

The Jewish population of Amsterdam are sephardic from the Iberian Peninsula who arrived in Holland during the 17th century. [4]

Facilities

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Monuments

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In addition to its age, the graveyard is interesting because the tombstones have inscriptions in three languages, Portuguese, Dutch and Hebrew, and because, unusually for a Jewish cemetery, many of the tombstones are carved with elaborate scenes including human figures.

Visitation

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The cemetery is open to visitors and is free of charge.

Notable burials

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Famous people buried at the Beth Haim include:

Grave of Menasseh Ben Israel

In culture

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The Jewish Cemetery, one of the paintings by Jacob van Ruisdael
Further information: The Jewish Cemetery

Two paintings by Jacob van Ruisdael were inspired by Beth Haim. Although the paintings are usually called in English "The Jewish Cemetery at Ouderkerk", the artist felt free to add picturesque elements, and they therefore do not closely resemble the actual location.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Over Beth Haim". www.bethhaim.nl (in Dutch). Beth Haim. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  2. ^ L. Alvarez Vega, The Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, 1994
  3. ^ Beth Haim at Ouderkerk Archived May 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Steven M. Nadler, Rembrandt's Jews, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0226567362, p.187-190 (link on line)
  5. ^ García-Arenal, Mercedes; Wiegers, Gerard (2007). A Man of Three Worlds: Samuel Pallache, a Moroccan Jew in Catholic and Protestant Europe. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-9583-8.
  6. ^ "Palache, Samuel". Amstel: Dutch Jewry. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Haham Joseph PARDO". 1999. Retrieved 1 Oct 2015.
  8. ^ "Rabbi/Haham David 'Joseph' PARDO". 1999. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Hazan Joseph 'David' PARDO". 1999. Retrieved 1 Oct 2015.

Notes

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  1. ^ Beth Haim, meaning House of Life [1] in translation, is a transliteration of the Hebrew words: בית חיים (Hebrew is read leftwardly: from right to left)
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