A few hours in Amsterdam

Believe it or not, there is A LOT more to do in Amsterdam than just go to coffee shops all day. In fact, this whole coffee shop thing is definitely more of an international phenomenon than a local one, a fact that has been reinforced in my class that focuses on Dutch Present Day Society. Yesterday, Rachel and I decided to visit the Jewish Historical Museum which is about a 15 minute walk from Amsterdam Central Station making it a very accessible destination. While I would argue that the first room in the exhibit may be a bit redundant for those who are Jewish and celebrate the Jewish holidays, the rest of the exhibit is fascinating as it takes you through the history of Jews in the Netherlands from 1600 until today. Over the past few centuries, the relationship that the Jewish people have had with the Dutch has certainly fluctuated, dictated both by the national climate as well as the international climate, as seen by the way in which the Jews were treated during WWII, upon the German invasion of the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. Yet, despite the hardships that the Jews have faced, they are very much a part of Dutch Society today, with almost 43,000 Jews living in the Netherlands, with about half living in the city of Amsterdam. The photos below are part of a collection of photographs representing present-day Jewish life in Amsterdam so I thought I would share some of my favorite ones... 

COOL 

I love the hippies in the top row of this. 

"Hey Mom, I got a lip-ring!! But don't worry, its a Jewish star...." ha ha ha

OH, and if you do visit the museum, make sure to get the head-set... it is free and very helpful. And for all the ladies out there, odds are they will ask you to put your handbag in a locker. Luckily though, before I could protest, I was told that the locker and key is provided free of charge. The Jews know how to do it right.