Elburg

I'm staying at an apartment in a women's group apartment house.  The building houses only women over 50.  There's something very comforting about that, I must say.  My next door neighbor is 93 and has lived here over 28 years.  Today, she invited me to go with her to a small town to the north and east called Elburg.  We took a "taxi" which she arranged.   I can't believe how kind and generous a gesture this was.

This may be a language thing, but I had thought the plan was to leave at 10:30.  When I awoke at 8:30, I didn't think I'd have time to shower and get breakfast before the car arrived.  Instead, I joined some of the women of the house for coffee and biscuits while I waited for the car.  My hostess for the day, Lizbeth, came in a bit past 11 and then I learned the car was expected at half-past 11.  Right around that time she received a call from the driver informing her that he'd be later still.  He finally arrived about an hour later.   One really can't complain when the ride is subsidized by the state (due to my friend's age).  I tipped 7 Euros all together--not bad for four hours (two hours each way) worth of driving.

The problem is...I got sick.  I started praying for a calmer stomach while we were still in Amsterdam.  I was hoping to God that our driver's car would remain pristine (it did).  Once we arrived at our destination, I had to make a beeline to "a certain place" (as my friend Leonore refers to it). 

I was able to manage fairly well for the first part of the exhibit.  It's really a fascinating story.  Elburg, established in the 14th century,  is a tiny fortress town to the north and east of Amsterdam.  It was once a fishing village directly on the Zuiderzee, but no longer.  It has the distinction of being almost a perfect rectangle.  My companion for the day described it as having been designed on a table.  

Another distinction, and frankly, the reason I was there, is that this tiny town has set up a museum to honor its lost Jews.  In fact, I believe the town actually has at least four museums, two of which deal with Jewish history in the area, as well as a Jewish cemetery.   My friends here at the house thought I would enjoy seeing the museum and their special exhibit on Sobibor.

The museum we visited was once the town synagogue (built in 1855). 

The woman who sold us tickets was also the museum educator, and took us on an abbreviated tour.  The first room we visited told the story of a number of Elburg's families, and also explained Jewish holidays and religious observance.  Our guide told us about the lessons she offers visitors on Judaism.

The illuminated boxes in this image offer written text, photos and an audio narrative about each of the families featured...all in Dutch.  The guide gave us a thumbnail sketch of some of these stories.

At its peak, Elburg had a Jewish population of 120 Jews, but by 1938 the number of Jews declined to 38.  By 1940, there were only 20 Jews in the town.  According to the website for the museum, "During World War II, half of the Jews of Elburg were deported and murdered in Nazi death camps. The other half managed to live out the war in hiding."  The synagogue, however, came through unscathed.

Given the absence of Jews in the community, the structure was later used as a community center.  A film we watched after the tour mentioned that among other activities the community choir rehearsed in the space.  In 2005, the town opened the current museum.  In addition to the stories about the Jewish inhabitants, there was also a collection of Judaica.  The display below features a megillah, a haggadah and a hannukiah.

This display featured a Torah scroll, and ark curtain, a Torah cover, two hannukiah and a kiddish cup.

Yet another hannukiah.

A Torah crown.

 Of all of the displays, I think the miniature replica of the synagogue's interior was my favorite.  I've come to appreciate the miniatures I've seen thus far.

There was a children's corner featuring a story about one of the Jewish children from Elburg who perished.  Her name was Gerda, but she went by "Kitty".  Her aunt was one of the few survivors, a teacher named Anna Shapira.  The story of Anna and Kitty is situated in the children's corner, across from a chart of the Alef-Bet.

I was very much taken with the Women's Gallery on the second floor, behind the blue railing in the third picture in this post.  There was something very moving about the women's photos and the displays filled with their everyday things.

The next room featured displays on Sobibor and Westerbork.  By this time I was feeling ill again, so I mostly rested my eyes and sat still.  I did manage a few snaps before succumbing.

This sculpture sits below a wall of remembrance of all the people originally from Elburg who perished in the camps.

There were a number of additional placards featuring facts about both camps, and I could make out some of the information.

I liked this display of profiles of Elburgers who had perished with the over-sized rocks.  I perceived that this was an homage to the practice of placing stones on the gravemarkers in Jewish cemeteries.

There were also interesting displays of suitcases which offered a new way of looking at the sadness inherent in seeing the cases Jewish prisoners brought with them anticipating resettlement.

It really was a worthwhile trip--illness notwithstanding. 

We ended our tour with a film which offered a narrative overview of the presence of Jews in this small town.  The docents had some difficulty getting the English subtitles to work, but it says a great deal about them that they worked so hard at it.  After about 10 minutes, they called in a young man in his 20s who set things to rights.

Our trip back to Amsterdam took us through some gorgeous countryside as we collected another woman from her daughter's farm and dropped her off at her own about an hour away.  I've observed lots of ponies, very fat sheep, cows with that big belt of white in the middle, goats, pheasants, storks, chickens, horses, etc.  We also saw a number of absolutely lovely farm houses, all very pristine, as well as gracious manor houses.  Even the "caravans" (or trailer homes) seemed so well kept.  It is a lovely country.

Unfortunately, I will not get to go to Westerbork on this trip.  My new friend Femmy worked very hard to show me how to do it, but I just couldn't justify a two hour train ride either way, along with a 20 Euro cabfare each way to and from the camp.  After my close call with the cab this morning, I've decided to explore more of Amsterdam itself tomorrow. 

I ended the evening at Femmy's just upstairs from my room.  She made a lovely vegetarian supper and we talked about the Old Catholic Church to which she belongs.  She has been so kind and generous to me. I feel very, very fortunate.

I will definitely be returning to this great city.