The History of the Jews in the Netherlands: (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)

This history of the Jews of the Netherlands and the role they have played in Dutch society was originally published in Dutch and widely acclaimed for the breadth of its coverage. It covers both the internal evolution of the Jewish community and its social, cultural, and economic interaction with the wider population. From the first Jewish settlements in the medieval duchies of Gelderland, Brabant, and Limburg to the Jewish community of today, the interaction between Dutch Jews and Dutch Christians has mostly been one of fruitful collaboration which only the period of German occupation from 1940 to 1945 was seriously able to disrupt. The contribution that Dutch Jews have made, and continue to make, to cultural life, to the economy, and to science is recognized as being of central importance to the Netherlands as a whole. The ten eminent scholars contributing to this book each describe Jewish life in a particular period, from the Middle Ages to the present. In doing so they consider the strains caused within the Jewish community by the effort to play a full part in Dutch society while maintaining Jewish culture, setting the discussion in the context of trends and tensions within Dutch society in the period in question. The circumstances of the Jews under German occupation and in the immediate post-war period are also discussed. The History of the Jews in the Netherlands is a definitive, indispensable work for the study of both European Jewish and Dutch history. CONTRIBUTORS J. C. H. Blom, F. Chaya Brasz, Joel J. Cahen, Renate G. Fuks-Mansfeld, Jonathan I. Israel, Yosef Kaplan, Peter Romijn, Ivo Schöffer, B. M. J. Speet, Daniel M. Swetschinski

Table of Contents:
List of illustrations Editorial note List of abbreviations Introduction IVO SCHÖFFER 1. The Middle Ages B. M. J. SPEET First Signs of a Jewish Presence The Northern Netherlands Violent Persecution Gelderland in the Fifteenth Century Discrimination and Expulsion The Christian Origins of Antisemitism Fresh Accusations In Search of an Explanation 2. Between the Middle Ages and the Golden Age, 1516–1621 DANIEL M. SWETSCHINSKI Jews in the Holy Roman Empire The Iberian Background Portuguese New Christians in Antwerp The Attitude of Humanists and Reformers to Jews and Judaism The Toleration Debate and the Jews Portuguese New Christians in Holland Four Christian Views of Jews The Growth of the Sephardi Colony in Amsterdam The Future Still Uncertain 3. The Republic of the United Netherlands until about 1750: Demography and Economic Activity JONATHAN I. ISRAEL The Early Decades, 1595–1648 Expansion and Colonization The Burgeoning of Commerce and of the Credit System, 1648–1713 Growing Population Figures During the Period of Economic Decline, 1713–1750 4. The Jews in the Republic until about 1750: Religious, Cultural, and Social Life YOSEF KAPLAN The Organization of the Community Three Congregations The Influx of Paupers The Power of the Mahamad New Synagogues Sephardim and Ashkenazim outside Amsterdam Religious Life: Tradition and Change A Good Education Ashkenazi Life Jewish Printers in Amsterdam The Shabbatean Movement in Amsterdam Influential Rabbis Culture and Secular Creativity Literature and the Stage Everyday Life Ideological Conflicts Relations between Jews and Christians Jewish Stereotypes 5. Enlightenment and Emancipation, c.1750–1814 RENATE G. FUKS-MANSFELD Good Citizens Demographic Changes and Emigration Economic Changes The Administration of the Jewish Communities Administrative Changes after 1796 Religious and Cultural Life 6. Arduous Adaptation, 1814–1870 RENATE G. FUKS-MANSFELD The Government and the Jews Education The Reorganization of the Jewish Communities after 1848 The Government and Jews under Threat Abroad Dutch Jews as Citizens Economic and Social Changes The Attitude of Protestants and Catholics towards Jews Cultural and Religious Trends Reactions to the New Jewish Fellow-Citizens 7. Jewish Netherlanders, Netherlands Jews, and Jews in the Netherlands, 1870–1940 J. C. H. BLOM and JOEL J. CAHEN Demography Occupations, Economic Role, and Poverty Religious Life, (Sub)culture, and Pillarization Assimilation, Integration, and Antisemitism Solidarity with International Jewry and Zionism Refugees from Germany Jews in the Dutch Colonies Jew and Netherlander 8. The War, 1940-1945 PETER ROMIJN The German Invasion • Registration Segregation New Regulations Outlaws Deportations and the Yellow Star Forced Removal and Labour Camps Organization and Selection Flight, Going into Hiding, and Resistance The Transit Camps Deportation and Murder Conclusion 9. After the Second World War: From Religious Community to Cultural Minority F. CHAYA BRASZ The First Few Months The Jewish Co-ordination Committee Antisemitism Religious Congregations Migration The Struggle for the Jewish War Orphans The Purges Jews in Modern Dutch Society after 1950 Numbers and Distribution A Cultural Minority Religious Developments The Colonies Jews and Christians Zionism Middle East Policy The Holocaust Epilogue Bibliographical essays Bibliography Notes on contributors Index of names General Index

About the Author :
Hans Blom is Emeritus Professor of Dutch History at the University of Amsterdam, and the former director of the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation. R. G. Fuks-Mansfeld is Emeritus Professor Extraordinary in the History and Culture of Modern Jewry at the University of Amsterdam. Her publications include 'De Sefardim in Amsterdam tot 1795: Aspecten van een Joodse Minderheid in een Hollandse Stad' (1989). I. Schöffer is Emeritus Professor of Dutch History at the University of Leiden. Previously he taught history at the University of Amsterdam, and from 1958 to 1961 was a fellow of the University of Western Australia. His publications include a number of studies of the history of Dutch Jewry, among them 'Veelvuldig Verleden: Seventien Studies in der Vaderlandse Geschiedenis' (1987).

Review :
'Comprehensive... a useful introduction to the main social, political, economic, and communal issues shaping Dutch Jewish history.' J. Haus, Choice 'The balanced judgements, the seamless transition between individual essays, and the exemplary translation make it a joy to read this book.' Wim Klooster, H-Judaic 'A sweeping, comprehensive survey of Dutch Jewish history... warmly to be welcomed... the most authoritative survey of this field, filling a sorely felt gap in the pre-existing historiography... The interpretations offered here... are uniformly sound, and are supported by an admirably comprehensive conceptualization of this historical narrative within the wider framework of Dutch and European history. While rich in detail, all chapters of the book retain a lively readability. Of particular value are the detailed and judicious bibliographic essays that are provided for each essay... excellently illustrated... all scholars of Dutch Jewish history will find this volume an indispensable addition to their library.' Adam Sutcliffe, Journal of Jewish Studies 'A very good compendium that will prove to be of lasting value to scholars and interested laymen. In a fine translation, this volume spans the entire history of Jews in the Netherlands from the Middle Ages to today. Its contributors have produced a work of considerable depth, detail, and scope: important trends and events affecting European Jewry elsewhere are incorporated in broad strokes but also in terms of specific consequences in the Netherlands... Such comparative strands add considerably to the book's value... ambitious and thorough... an always informative and often impressive tour de force.' G. Jan Colijn, Shofar 'The History of the Jews in the Netherlands is a definitive, indispensable work for the study of both European Jewish and Dutch history.' Israel Book Review DUTCH EDITION 'Presents a clear picture of the longer-term developments without any sacrifice of living history. Much space is devoted to social and religious life, to culture and to the economy ... Particularly impressive ... does honour to its status as a general survey.' Frank van Vree, De Volkskrant 'Thanks to its wealth of anecdotes and readable style, this general survey should appeal to a wide public interested in the history of the Jews in the Netherlands.' Julika Vermolen, Het Parool