The Synagogue in Weesp and Masorti Almere-Weesp
The Weesp Synagogue was consecrated on October 30, 1840. At that time it functioned as a so-called ‘district synagogue’, which means that it served not only Jews from Weesp but also from surrounding places such as Muiden, Nederhorst den Berg and Weesperkarspel. Early eighteenth-century records show that Jews lived in the area. This synagogue was built as a replacement for another synagogue. The most prosperous time for the Jewish community was the period from 1840 to 1890. At its peak there were 175 Jews in Weesp. The minister at this time was Mr. van Hal, who also worked as bridge master at the Vecht River crossing in Weesp. After this period many people began to migrate to the city, mostly to Amsterdam. In 1901 there were 180 Jews living in Weesp, dropping to 150 in 1911 and to only 120 in 1913. The Jewish community declined further until World War I, when Jewish refugees came to settle in Weesp. Due to the atrocities of World War II and the Nazis it was impossible to celebrate the centenary of the synagogue in 1940. On 29 April 1942, all the Jews in Weesp were ordered to relocate to Amsterdam to await transport to Westerbork, the Dutch transit camp to the extermination camps. Mr. Bouhuijs, headmaster of a local primary school, was the only person in town to raise his voice against the deportation and as a result he lost his job. After the war ended in 1945, only six people from the Weesp Jewish community survived. They returned to Weesp briefly but settled elsewhere. The Jewish congregation was nonexistent and the synagogue stood idle. In 1949 the building was taken over by Mr. Knol for use as a garage, where cars were repaired; the Aron Hakodesh became a cupboard for tools. The buildings’ entree was enlarged to permit vehicles to drive in. In 1984 the Weesp Council purchased it and refurbished it as a listed building, after which the building was used as a base for the local employment office. The building stood empty again in 1995, and in 1996 it was sold by the Council to a group of local Jewish people headed by Professor A. Heertje, who founded the Society of Owners of the Weesp Synagogue. At the same time, the Society of Friends of the Weesp Synagogue was founded to run the synagogue. For the past seven years they have organized an annual cultural program with a range of activities, including music performances, lectures and exhibitions. Since 2003 the synagogue has been used as a proper place of Jewish worship, rented by the Masorti congregation, with around 180 members mainly from the cities Almere, Weesp, Amsterdam and the surrounding area, once again constituting a ‘district synagogue’ but serving a wider region. At Simchat Torah in 2005 the congregation members celebrated the acquisition of a second Torah scroll, obtained with the aid of the Dutch-Jewish charity Maror, along with two parochets (curtains) and Torah mantles. The bells for the Torah scrolls were donated by a couple of members as a gift. The Masorti congregation has services every other Shabbat and on Festivals, celebrating special days such as Chanukah and Purim. The annual Communal Pesach Seder is always a popular and successful event. A special event happened on Sunday morning, December 22nd, at the end of 2013. A film crew produced a documentary about three generations of the Cohen family, their efforts for Judaism at large and our Kehillah Masorti Almere-Weesp in particular. It was broadcast on national TV on Sunday afternoon, January 26th, 2014, by the Dutch Jewish Broadcast Company. Kehillah Masorti Almere-Weesp is very happy to be able to rent the synagogue every second week and for the High Holidays. At other times the building is used by different groups for a range of activities. Site: http://www.masorti.nl/Masorti_Almere/?page_id=10 |