Portuguese Synagogue, Amsterdam

When the Sephardi community of Amsterdam — descendants of Jews who had fled Portugal and Spain — opened its new synagogue on 2 August 1675, it was the largest synagogue in the world. The architect was Elias Bouwman, and work had begun only four years earlier, in April 1671. The building, known to its congregation as the Esnoga, a Judaeo-Spanish word, is a single tall brick hall surrounded by a ring of lower buildings, among them the Ets Haim library, founded in 1616 and housed here since the synagogue opened, today listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register.

The interior is what people remember. Instead of electric light the main hall is lit by candles: four great brass chandeliers and wall sconces hold around a thousand of them, and seventy-two windows let in daylight from every side. Twelve stone columns, one for each of the tribes of Israel, carry the women's galleries. The original wooden benches remain, and the floor is covered in fine sand, a custom kept by only a handful of synagogues in the world. At the east end stands the great ark, made in 1744 from Brazilian jacaranda wood; the building is oriented so that it faces towards Jerusalem.

The Esnoga came through the German occupation undamaged. Leo Palache, a leading member of the community, managed to prevent the building from being used as a deportation centre, and ritual objects were hidden in the roof space and under the attic floor. A restoration in 1955–1959 brought heating and electricity to the side buildings, where a small winter synagogue was made, but the great hall still keeps its candlelight. Beneath the surrounding buildings, treasure chambers display silver, textiles and books; in 2022 restorers found eighteenth-century hangings hidden behind the ark, now shown there. The synagogue remains in use and is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter together with the nearby Jewish Museum.

Getting there

The synagogue stands at Mr. Visserplein 3 in the centre of Amsterdam, less than a kilometre from the historic core. Waterlooplein metro station, served by lines 51, 53 and 54 from Amsterdam Centraal, is a short walk away. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is about 12 km away, with frequent trains to the city.