One of the best things about Amsterdam is how ‘gezellig’ people are – how people try to make every social situation, even with strangers, as friendly and convivial as possible. We do that in all our tours, even with tours with such difficult stories as the Holocaust. You will most likely make connections on our tours with other tour-goers, which can help make looking at the unbearable bearable. Come learn and enjoy with us!
How was it that Amsterdam, the Jerusalem of the West, the one safe place to be Jewish in the world for 350 years, became the country in WWII with the highest percentage (75%) of Jews killed in Western Europe?
We will use Anne Frank’s story and many other stories to understand what it was like to live in a Nazi regime of terror for both Jews and non-Jews,
The tour includes stops at The National Holocaust Names Monument, The Jewish Theatre, The Auschwitz Monument and the Portuguese Synagogue, along with many more places with stories of the incredible exploits of heroes and traitors during the war, both Jewish and Christian:
We will also discuss the kinds of lies used to create such virulent anti-Semitism, and how lies continue to be used today to foment hate and war.
The tour will take place in the Jewish Quarter, the heart of Jewish culture in Amsterdam. We begin at the Spinoza monument.
We will arrive at the Portuguese Synagogue two hours and 15 minutes after the beginning of the tour. The tour will be completely over within two and a half hours.
Since we are in Amsterdam, we will try to make even this tour about WWII as gezellig (friendly and convivial) as possible.
From a recent review: The Jewish tour with Jon was wonderful. ... while the tour can be deeply saddening ..., Jon was able to keep the energy up using humor when appropriate and kept the group engaged. Highly recommend this tour!
This tour is a terrific substitute or accompaniment for the Anne Frank House (annefrank.org). You can only buy tickets to the Anne Frank House through their website two months ahead of time. Read the link below and follow the directions closely!. Book the terrific introductory program in English if it is available. https://www.annefrank.org/en/museum/tickets/
We do not visit the Anne Frank museum, since there is really nothing to see except her statue outside of the museum. Come on this tour to find out what the Jews and the Dutch experienced in WWII.
The Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum are usually sold out for at least a week or more. Reserve early for many museums, including the National Holocaust Museum.
If you will visit at least four Dutch museums (including all the museums above), it can be a good idea to buy a Museum Card, good at 450 museums for one year. You can buy a temporary pass at the first museum you visit, use that pass five times, and receive a permanent pass within five days or less. If ordering tickets for the Anne Frank House or another museum, just mark that you have a Museum Card and don't pay anything online. Then buy the card at the first museum you visit. https://www.museum.nl/en/museumpass
I look forward to seeing you soon - Jon
To find the meeting point, type in Frenzi Zwanenburgwal in Google Maps or iMAPS. https://maps.app.goo.gl/h8EGwhPtg2rAF7X19. From Frenzi, cross the bridge and go to the Spinoza Monument, a statue of a man in a funny cape. We will meet there. Unfortunately, just entering Spinoza Monument will probably get you lost.
Spinoza, the child of Portuguese-Jewish immigrants born in Amsterdam in 1632, was the most radical of all Enlightenment philosophers and embodies the freedom of thought of Amsterdam in the 1600s.
The Monument to Jewish Resistance.
The lobby has the commemorative statue "The Fiddler".
We will tell a story in the beautiful inner courtyard. Free bathrooms are also available.
Commemorates the Jews who lived in these apartments in WWII and were killed by the Nazi occupation.
This 2021 monument designed by Daniel Liebeskind commemorates all 102,000 Dutch Jews and 220 Dutch gypsies killed by the Nazis.
The Nazis changed the Dutch Theatre into the Jewish Theatre in 1940 and then into a Jewish transit camp in July of 1942. The theatre and the daycare centre/school across the street are now the new National Holocaust Museum.
The Dutch monument to the victims of Auschwitz.
The synagogue is my favourite non-art museum in the Netherlands. The plaza is the scene of the first roundup of Jews in the Netherlands.
Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).
Find similar guruwalks in Amsterdam