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Series I: Sephardic Jewish letters , Ca. 1643-1922
Series II: Ashkenazic Jewish letters, 1820-1870

Dutch Jewish archive, 1643-1922

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Series I: Sephardic Jewish letters , Ca. 1643-1922


Box 1 Folder 1 to 31 Letters in Hebrew, German, and Ladino relating to the Jewish community of Amsterdam and other Dutch cities, including five letters sent from the Mahamad of the Portuguese Jewish community of Hamburg to its Amsterdam counterpart (1643-1670) and nine drafts of letters from the Parnassim of Amsterdam (1765-1795), et al.

Five of the letters were sent from the Mahamad of the Portuguese Jewish community of Hamburg to its Amsterdam counterpart: 1) Letter regarding the Hamburg Portuguese-Jewish community's plans to establish and organize an association, in light of the Amsterdam community's successful efforts to do the same. 1643. 2) A letter with a request for assistance in the matter of a certain individual by the name of Isaac Penso, accused of murder and wanted by the authorities, who was blackmailing the Hamburg community. 1658. 3) A letter with regard to the "Beth Din" (religious tribunal) constituted to adjudicate on a matter pertaining to the financial affairs of Dr. Benjamin Musaphia; the litigant was taking issue with the makeup of the tribunal, and the Mahamad was seeking assistance in its efforts to persuade him to come to an understanding in this matter. 1658. 4) Thank-you letter expressing gratitude for efforts to persuade one Isaac Calvo to desist from returning to Hamburg. 1670. 5) Letter of recommendation to the Mahamad of the Amsterdam community in the matter of Rabbi Jacob Sasportas who was leaving Hamburg and heading to the Levant on account of financial difficulties, and was in need of assistance. 1670.

The five additional documents are personal letters and legal documents dealing with trade, marriage, and other affairs: 6) Document wherein the undersigned testify that Rohiel Jesurum (Reuel Jesurun) of Hamburg has, in their presence, appointed his daughter, the wife of Moses Gideon Abudiente, as his heiress. 1664. 7) Letter dealing with the matter of the marriage of Abraham Abendana de Brito to Hannah Nahamias de Castro. Signed by Dr. Isaac Pimental and Joseph Abendana, uncles of the bridegroom's father, appointed by the father to mediate between him and the father of the bride; David De Nahamias, father of the bride; and Dr. Baruch (Benedict) Nahamias. 1671. 8) Letter of greetings and congratulations from David Abendana Mendes of Hamburg to his cousin Isaac da Costa of Amsterdam on the occasion of his marriage to Hannah Abendana Nahmias. 1749. Spanish. 9) Contract between Rabbi Solomon Salem and Abraham Jehisquia Bassan, according to which Bassan would become a licensed partner in a matzah-baking business venture accredited by the community, the license to which was entrusted to Salem's son, the minor Isaac Salem, for a period of 10 years. January 7, 1765. 10) Letter from Abraham Curiel Bueno of Maarsen, the Netherlands, to Moses Ricardo of Amsterdam, dealing with an apartment rental. 1787.

Enclosed: Two popular poems (a Sephardic Jewish romance and a love poem in Portuguese) handwritten on a folded sheet. Both poems have been documented in Jewish manuscripts miscellanies. In the present version, an additional verse has been added to the poem in Portuguese; this verse is not included in any of the other known sources. [Amsterdam, late 17th century or 18th century].

The community of Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin in Hamburg, Germany maintained close ties with its larger and more established sister community in Amsterdam. The documents here present a clear picture of intimate and ongoing relations between the two communities, and of their intense involvement in one another's daily affairs.

The Hamburg community sought the advice of its Amsterdam sister regarding important milestones in its public affairs. Among Jews descended from the subjects of the Spanish and Portuguese Expulsions or from Spanish-Portuguese conversos, there was constant interchange between the two cities, in terms of family ties, marriages, trade, and more, and all these various relationships are dealt with in detail in the present documents.

Box 1 Folder 32 Letter to Mr. Jacaob Gubay (in Martinique) from his son (in Amsterdam), 23rd October 1664

(Accession 2023-2024-M053)

Series II: Ashkenazic Jewish letters, 1820-1870

This communal archive of the Ashkenazic Jewish community provides a window into the day-to-day proceedings and official communal interactions, both within the membership of the community itself, as well as with other Jewish communities in Holland, and across the European continent. Religious functionaries, such as Rabbis and religious court judges, as well as lay leaders are represented within this archival collection., 1.26 Linear Feet; 550 documents in 3 document boxes

Most of the documents within this archive are written in Yiddish, the lingua franca of Amsterdam's Ashkenazic Jewish community.

Although Sephardic Jews outnumbered Ashkenazic Jews in the late 16th, early 17th centuries when both groups began to reside in Amsterdam, by the early 19th century Ashkenazic Jews had become the overwhelming majority of the city's Jewish population and played an ever increasing role in that city's becoming the largest and most important Jewish community in Western Europe.

This archive was deaccessioned from Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana (under the auspices of the University of Amsterdam) in the 1990s. All of the items in the archive are marked with the Rosenthaliana deaccession stamp and a letter confirming the terms of acquisition, is in the collection file


Box 2 Folder 1 A local authorization for Rabbi Abraham Solomon Zalman Alfandari of Jerusalem to solicit and collect funds among the Ashkenazic Jews of Amsterdam, to support the building of a synagogue in Jerusalem, 1822

Box 2 Folder 2 Entreaty to the various outlying communities to engage in prayer, recitation of psalms, and acts of charity, to avert the evil decree of the raging Cholera Epidemic sweeping through the community., 1832 or 1849

Box 2 Folder 3 Text of a special prayer to be recited honoring Moses Montefiore and Adolphe Cremieux in recognition of their herculean efforts to marshal a worldwide effort to combat the heinous accusations of a blood libel against the Jews of Damascus, 1840

Box 2 Folder 4 An effusive letter of praise for King William I, 1840

It should be noted that during the reigns of William I (1814-1840) and William II (1840-1849), Jews were politically active in various cities, and in Amsterdam Jewish representation in the city council was nearly continuous in this period.

Box 2 Folder 5 A letter from the Jewish Community of Cuijk (app. 100 miles away) entreating the Jews of Amsterdam for assistance in providing for Jewish soldiers in the town, 1832

Box 2 Folder 6 Communal regulation concerning smallpox stating that no unvaccinated children could enter the synagogue, 1821

Box 2 Nos. 1-180


Box 3 Nos. 180-380


Box 4 Nos. 380-550