Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel

Abraham Blooteling after Jacob van Ruisdael, Begraef-plaets der Joden, buyten Amsteldam (Jewish Cemetery outside Amsterdam), 1670, etching on laid paper; sheet size: 20.8 x 27.8 cm (8 3/16 x 10 15/16 in.). National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1999.64.1
Jewish cemetery outside Amsterdam, ca. 1670
Beth Haim in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel
Grave of Menasseh Ben Israel
The Jewish Cemetery, one of the paintings by Jacob van Ruisdael

The Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands.[1] It was purchased for use as a burying ground by the Jewish community of Amsterdam in 1614 and is located in the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, in the countryside near Amsterdam.[2]

In addition to its age, the graveyard is interesting because the tombstones have inscriptions in three languages, Portuguese, Dutch and Hebrew, and because, unusually for a Jewish cemetery, many of the tombstones are carved with elaborate scenes including human figures.

There are two paintings by Jacob van Ruisdael that were inspired by Beth Haim. Although the paintings are usually called in English "The Jewish Cemetery at Ouderkerk", the artist felt free to add picturesque elements, and they therefore do not closely resemble the actual location.

  1. ^ L. Alvarez Vega, The Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, 1994
  2. ^ Beth Haim at Ouderkerk Archived May 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine