A small house synagogue of the association of ‘Marrying off of young daughters’ could be found here as early on as 1724. This association was not recognised by the official Jewish community. The Jewish community purchased the land following a number of court proceedings and had a new synagogue built in 1766. It served as an annex to the Grote Synagoge (synagogue) on the Jonas Daniël Meijerplein (square).
Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, 1981
Party room and slaughterhouse
The building consisted of two floors. The synagogue could be found on the first floor. Two party rooms were on the ground floor. These were equipped to serve as a poultry slaughterhouse in 1889. According to Jewish tradition, slaughtering is a serious matter that is to take place under the supervision of a rabbi. The religious rules that apply in this respect explain the combination of functions in this building.
The back of Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91-173 in 1912.
For the common people
The island Uilenburg was part of the poor Jewish neighbourhood. It subsequently became a synagogue for the common people. It was used for a variety of purposes: as a wedding room, aid synagogue and bread was distributed to the poor. It functioned as a youth synagogue during the Second World War. The synagogue was shut down and subsequently looted in 1942. The municipality purchased the synagogue in 1954; it became a restoration workshop under the supervision of Hans ’t Mannetje. The grounds surrounding the synagogue were used as a yard for monumental building fragments.
Detail on the façade of the synogogue.
The synagogue was restored in the period 1994-‘97. The wall where the Holy Ark could originally be found is currently marked by the Hebrew text: ‘I always see the Eternal’ (Psalms 16:8). The Jewish movement Beth Ha’Chidush (House of Renewal) has held synagogue services here on a regular basis since 1997. As of 2008, the building is in use for Jewish-cultural purposes alone.