We just arrived in Amsterdam and things are off to a great start.
We started out at the Portuguese Synagogue, a beautiful, old 17th-century edifice, which was once the center of a thriving community of Jewish people who had come to Amsterdam from Spain via Portugal. Built in the Sepharadic tradition, the pews face the center of the cavernous old synagogue (known in Ladino as the Esnoga). This is different from the Eastern European tradition, where the benches face the front.
Tourists come from all over the world to see this beautiful piece of Jewish history, and services are still held here. We are told that, in true Sepharadic tradition, prayers and announcements are still made in the traditional Judao-Spanish vernacular.
Later, outside the Jewish Historical Museum—which is housed in what was once the Ashkenazi synagogue—we met Faroukh, a Jewish man who lives in a smaller city in Holland. We also met a family of Jewish tourists from Miami.
Throughout the day, we found that we were constantly being approached by Jewish tourists, who assumed that we must know everything Jewish in Holland. We have only been here for one day, but we are getting better at it. We are now able to direct people to the synagogues, museums, and kosher restaurants with relative confidence.
There are many Israelis who live and work in this area. We have some of their contact information and hope to get in touch with them during the next few weeks.
In the afternoon, we took part in Minchah services in the Esnoga, with a large group from Israel in attendance.
All in all, we had a tiring but accomplishing day. The weather is nice and the people are even nicer. So we have much to look forward to ahead.
