Netherlands

1. Netherlands THE NETHERLANDS IS PARTICIPATING IN THE OLYMPICS THIS YEAR

2. Jewish community in the Netherlands The Netherlands is located mainly in North-West Europe and has some islands in the Caribbean. The capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. Most Dutch Jews live in the major cities in the west of the Netherlands. About 44% live in Amsterdam. There are 150 synagogues, of which 50 are still used for religious services. There are about 45 000 Jewish people in the Netherlands.

3. Synagogues in the Netherlands The inside of the Amsterdam Esnoga, the synagogue for the Portuguese-Israelite (Sephardic)community was officially opened on the 2nd August 1675, and is still being used by the Jewish community. This is the synagogue in the town of Veghel. The community in Veghel was a smallcommunity, which reached its height around 1900. In the years following the community shrank to about 30 members, and was eventually completely destroyed during the Holocaust. The Gerard Doustraat Synagogue in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

4. History of the Jews in the Netherlands Jews seem to have lived in the province of Holland before 1593.Most history of the Jews in the Netherlands was between the end of the 16th century and World War II .The area now known as the Netherlands was once part of the Spanish Empire but in 1581 the northern Dutch provinces declared independence .Religious tolerance was an important part of the newly independent state. This attracted the attention of Jews in many parts of the world.

5. Famous people from The Netherlands • Anne Frank • Anne Frank was one of over one million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust. She was born Annelies Marie Frank on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, to Otto and Edith Frank. While in hiding,ina secret Annex in Amsterdam, Anne kept a diary in which she recorded her fears, hopes, and experiences. Found in the secret apartment after the family was arrested, the diary was kept for Anne by Miep Gies, one of the people who had helped hide the Franks. It was published after the war in many languages and is used in thousands of middle school and high school curricula in Europe and the Americas. Anne Frank has become a symbol for the lost promise of the children who died in the Holocaust. • Vincent van Gogh • Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter whose work was known for its rough beauty, emotional honesty, and bold color, had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental illness, he died at the age of 37 from a gunshot wound, generally accepted to be self-inflicted (although no gun was ever found). • Robin van Persie • Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team.

6. Five facts about The Netherlands Fact 1:The capital city of The Netherlands is Amsterdam.Fact 2:There are over 16 million bicycles in use, almost one for every citizen.Fact 3:The largest Van Gogh collection is housed in the Van Gogh museum.Fact 4:Potato and Cheese is the prime ingredient for most Dutch cuisines.Fact 5:The Netherlands is often known as the Land of Compromise.

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