match her role as passionate storyteller of Amsterdam’s Jewish history and present.
“Ten important years of my life I spent in Israel. There I was privileged to explore in depth my Jewish heritage. My related B.A. – and M.A. degrees from Tel Aviv University and experience as a licensed tourguide in Israel are the best background for a tourguide of Jewish heritage in Amsterdam or anywhere in the world”,
says Naomi Koopmans.
Community involvement
Naomi‘s current involvement in
Amsterdam’s Jewish community
and her readiness to share
the ins and outs thereof,
complete her narration and keep it up to date.
“My daughter was Bat-Mitzvahd last year in the local Jewish progressive community and my son’s Bar-Mitzvah is upcoming.
The Jewish Cultural Quarter of Amsterdam is an organization that since 2012 has managed important Jewish heritage sites in Amsterdam, such as the Portuguese Synagogue and the Jewish Museum.
In these locations, five synagogues were opened in the 17th century, by Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe and Portugal who found safety and protection in Amsterdam.
View of Portuguese Synagogue (right)
and Ashkenazi Synagogue (left) in Amsterdam around 1675.
Only the Portuguese Synagogue remained in tact during WWII and still serves to host Jewish religious services.
“The Jewish Cultural Quarter of Amsterdam is doing a very important job displaying the beauty of Jewish religion and culture to its visitors. There is no better place for people to enhance their understanding and appreciation of Jewish religion and culture than in historic sites like those”,