Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld & Bart Wallet | Authors, Jews in the Netherlands – A Short History
- Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld & Bart Wallet are authors of a book called, “Jews in the Netherlands.”
- Tirtsah is an independent scholar, who specializes in cultural aspects of the Portuguese Jewish community of the early modern period.
Podcast
Overview
In a thought-provoking discussion on “The Brand Called You” podcast, Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld and Bart Wallet shed light on the often overlooked Jewish history of the Netherlands. While many people associate Dutch Jewish history solely with the tragic tale of Anne Frank, Bernfeld and Wallet emphasize the vibrant and diverse past of Judaism in the country. Through their engaging conversation, they aim to bring awareness to the rich Jewish heritage that goes beyond the confines of Anne Frank’s story.
[00:40] – About Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld & Bart Wallet
- Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld & Bart Wallet are authors of a book called, “Jews in the Netherlands.”
- Tirtsah is an independent scholar, who specializes in cultural aspects of the Portuguese Jewish community of the early modern period.
- She is a National Jewish Book Award winner, and the author of “Poverty and Welfare among the Portuguese Jews of early modern Amsterdam.
- Bart Wallet is an early modern and modern Jewish history professor at the University of Amsterdam.
- He has published extensively on the history of Dutch Jewry.
- Bart is also the editor of the European Journal of Jewish studies.
[02:46] – What drove you to feel the need to write this book?
- We did a certain survey on 400 years of the history of the Jews in Amsterdam, and post its success, we were asked to write another book.
- We came to the conclusion that small stories with pictures would make it easier for people to get an impression of Dutch Jewish history.
[05:31] – What were the forces that made it possible to suddenly welcome Jews?
- The irony is that the Netherlands didn’t welcome the Jews. They suddenly discovered a Jewish community in some cities in the Netherlands.
- In the 17th century, the Dutch Republic was economically very successful.
- The Portuguese merchants who were very heavily involved in colonial trade, sent their family members to Amsterdam. They were of Jewish ancestry who had converted to Catholicism.
- In the Netherlands, they decided to become Jewish again and they found a new Jewish community.
[20:15] – Please enlighten us about the Dutch Jewish Council.
- The Jewish Council was like the government of the Jewish population in the Netherlands during the war period.
- Jews were isolated from the rest of the society; they were not allowed to go to regular schools or for regular jobs.
- The Jewish Council was responsible for their needs of education and healthcare.
- Gradually, the Council had to cooperate with the Nazis, which put blame on them for collaborating with the Nazis.
RESOURCES:
You can connect with Bart Wallet: LinkedIn
You can connect with Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld: LinkedIn
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Profile
- Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld & Bart Wallet are authors of a book called, “Jews in the Netherlands.”
- Tirtsah is an independent scholar, who specializes in cultural aspects of the Portuguese Jewish community of the early modern period.
- She is a National Jewish Book Award winner, and the author of “Poverty and Welfare among the Portuguese Jews of early modern Amsterdam.
- Bart Wallet is an early modern and modern Jewish history professor at the University of Amsterdam.
- He has published extensively on the history of Dutch Jewry.
- Bart is also the editor of the European Journal of Jewish studies.
