The Jewish Cultural Quarter is east of the city center with Europe's largest and oldest active synagogues. Its magnificent interior looks much as it did in 1675, with its original towering stone columns, vaulted timber ceiling & wooden pews surrounding a massive Torah ark made of gleaming wood. Evening services are illuminated by hundreds of candles in the large brass chandeliers. The sheer size of the synagogue & it's beauty left us awestruck. The Portuguese Synagogue is the functioning house of prayer of the Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam. On days when no services are held, this magnificent esnoga and the hidden treasure chambers are open to visitors. What makes this building so remarkable is that its interior has remained completely intact. No heating or electricity has been installed and it's lit by a thousand candles you see all around. At night, by candlelight and the candlelit concerts are supposed to be incredible. The world's oldest functioning Jewish library is also here: Ets Haim Livraria Montezinos, which is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. read more

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Lovely 17th century Sephardic synagogue in one of Amsterdam's most charming districts! Audio tour is informative and well orchestrated. Be sure to visit the (very close) Jewish History Museum AND the Museum of the Dutch Resistance while you're in this part of one of my two favorite European cities. read more

The Portuguese Synagogue was one of the more interesting stops we made in Amsterdam. The audio tour that takes place in several areas of the Synagogue was very informative and interesting! Being a Sephardic synagogue, I learned a lot! The Synagogue was completed in 1674, and to this day it has no heating or electricity. All of the services are conducted using natural light or candles. In addition to the Synagogue itself, you can tour the rabbinate, the mikva, and archives which includes Torah Mantles made from dresses donated by Portuguese Jews who belonged to the Synagogue. The tour is great! And the price of the ticket includes entrance to several other places in the Jewish Cultural Quarter of Amsterdam, including: the Jewish Historical Museum, Hollandsche Schouwburg (National Holocaust Museum), and more! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Amsterdam! read more

Portugese Synagoge - Synagogues Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

See Toni's review... An Addendum...Blankets included in the women's balcony area! read more

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I was really disappointed with this experience. It took some time to get there and the payoff just wasn't there. The amount of time I spent at the ticket window was less time than the actual synagogue. The reason for going was to go to the library which I found is only a tour and in some cases only once a day. And in this case, was Dutch. The website does not give this information only which days it's open. This was a complete waste of time. Not cool. read more

The Portuguese Synagogue is located very close to the Jewish History Museum and the Resistance Museum is relatively close so it makes sense to visit them all on the same day while you are in the area. The Rembrandt House Museum is also within the same few blocks. I am not Jewish and don't know much about the Jewish faith, but you don't have to share a religion to be awed by this building. As the other reviews have noted, there is no electricity. The floors are a rough hewn wood with a gritty surface. The light streaming in the windows is incredible. It is simple elegance and respect for the natural materials that crafted this building. it really is everything a house of worship should be-- simple, monumental, strong, enduring, understated and magnificent. Get the annual Museum Card even if you are only in Amsterdam a few days. The pass will give you access to places like this that you might not visit otherwise. read more

Admission includes the Jewish Museum and the Holocaust Memorials as well. The synagogue is very beautiful, and it not unlike Dutch Protestant churches of the period, with its brass chandeliers (never electrified) and clears windows providing lot of light. Must be lovely when candle lit at night. As it is a Sephardic synagogue, the pulpit is somewhat at the western end with the ark opposite and chair arranged in a square. There is a display of very beautiful religious objects (still in current use) downstairs in the treasury along with an introductory film. There is a painting of the interior by the great Dutch church interior painter, De Witte, in the Jewish museum nearby which clearly demonstrates how it has not changed in 340 years. read more

A while ago we saw a YouTube clip about the Portuguese Synagogue and were excited to be able to see it. When we arrived it was enshrouded in protective fabric as it's in the midst of a major renovation. One of the walls that was outside the fabric was leaning noticeably. The synagogue was completed in 1675. The Jewish community was established earlier in that century by Sephardic Jews fleeing Spain and Portugal. Because of historic and ongoing tensions between the Dutch Republic and Spain, they identified as Portuguese Jews. The establishment of the synagogue was precipitated by the unmasking of the false Messiah, Shabbetai Zvi, a Turkish Jew who claimed to be the Messiah but converted to Islam when threatened by the Sultan. Shocked, the Portuguese Jews decided to build the synagogue, as it was clear they were staying in Holland. The synagogue, which is also referred to as the Esnoga, has no electricity. There is no heat and what light there is comes from the many windows and from brass chandeliers which hold candles. According to the free audioguide it gets so cold during the winter that icicles form on the candles. There's a smaller Winter Synagogue that is heated. It wasn't open to the public today. When it was completed, the Portuguese Synagogue was the largest synagogue in the world. Unaccountably it was one of the only synagogues not destroyed by the Nazis during WWII. It was restored in the 1850s and 1950s, but has been maintained in its original form, hence the lack of electricity. Inside, the synagogue is designed in the Sephardi tradition, with the wooden Ark and bimah at opposite ends of the interior. The ceiling is high and arched. The seating, which is on benches from a synagogue built in 1639, is arranged in two equal halves which face each other across a central aisle. The floor is covered with fine sand to absorb dirt and moisture from shoes and muffle noise. Both Alan and I noticed that it was less ornate and elegant than our memory of the oldest British synagogue, which we visited on a Jewish London Walk, but when I just looked it up I discovered that Bevis Marks Synagogue, which was completed in 1701, was modeled on the Portuguese Synagogue, although it does have electricity now. I also learned that Bevis Marks was severely damaged by terrorist bombings in 1992 and 1993, after we saw it, but has been restored. How sad that such ancient beauty should be targeted. It glows in our memories. read more

In the main building there is no running water, electricity or heating, pretty remarkable since it's still fully in use. It's the second oldest functioning synagogue in Europe, and i don't think there has been an modernization to it since the beginning, it's like walking back in time. There are a couple audio tour explanations in the synagogue, but it's worth just sitting and enjoying the place for awhile. read more

a look into the past, but from the present...there was a 12 EUR fee to enter but its' worth it because it's good for a month, and entry into the museum across the street. An audio guide in English and a Kippah "skullcap" is optional & provided at the front entrance. Bike parking is available right outside the entrance too. The Esnoga aka temple building is from another time and the inside is vast with a bima made of wood. The floors are wood and have sand on them and the pews are wooden too. You can sit on one of the benches and contemplate the history and area from 1600's until present day. There is a very informal and relaxed atmosphere of peacefulness for people of all cultures and religions to enjoy. Very inspiring in the quiet nooks and areas towards the back with the Sukkah and Buttresses. Visited July 2013 read more