Joods Museum: stories past and present, also for children

Amsterdam’s Joods Museum explores Jewish life through objects, art and personal stories. Its displays ask questions about religion, history and culture, while also showing how Jewish people shape traditions today. The museum occupies the Great Synagogue on Nieuwe Amstelstraat and is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter.

One object that makes the site’s history tangible is the Rintel Hanukkah menorah. Sara Rintel donated the large silver candelabrum to the Great Synagogue. It was made for this synagogue in 1753 and, according to the museum, still stands there. At more than a metre high and a metre and a half wide, it is difficult to miss. The object provides a starting point for talking about Hanukkah and about the people who used the synagogue over the centuries.

For children aged six to twelve, the museum has a section of its own: Joods Museum junior. It is arranged as the home of the Jewish Hollander family. Visitors may touch things, bake challah in the kitchen, write their name in Hebrew and listen to Jewish music in the attic. Young visitors can encounter rituals and everyday life through actions. The Museum Association has awarded the museum the Kidsproof designation; young museum inspectors aged twelve and under recommend it.

Abracadabra: Geheimen van Houdini tot Hans Klok is also on view on 16 October. The temporary exhibition runs from 25 September 2026 through 29 March 2027. It shows the role Jewish illusionists played in the development of stage entertainment around 1900. Alongside familiar names such as Houdini and the Dutch-Jewish Bamberg family of magicians, visitors can look behind tricks and illusions and try some themselves.

For children aged six to twelve, Abracadabra kidsweek also runs through 18 October. Its programme invites them to engage with the exhibition and magic tricks. If time allows, the temporary exhibition can be combined with the junior section or the permanent displays. That leaves room to consider the stories behind the objects.

According to its October calendar, Joods Museum + junior is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm. The visitor address is Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1, 1011 PL Amsterdam. From Amsterdam Central Station, metro lines 51, 53 and 54 go to Waterlooplein; use the Nieuwe Amstelstraat exit. The wheelchair entrance is at Nieuwe Amstelstraat 3–5. The museum says lifts are available and visitors can reserve a wheelchair in advance if needed.

For adults, the Jewish Cultural Quarter lists an online duo ticket at €20 for Joods Museum + junior and the Portuguese Synagogue. A €30 combination ticket gives access to four sites for one week. The combination ticket has a €10 student rate; and children under six enter free. Admission is also free with a Museumkaart, among other cards, but the museum still recommends booking online in advance. Tickets at the desk cost €2 more.