Mediene
Encyclopedia
The Mediene is the name given to all the Jewish
kehillot
in the Netherlands outside of the capital Amsterdam
, the historical center of Dutch Judaism
. From the 18th century onwards up until the Holocaust, dozens of Jewish communities were created in towns big and small scattered throughout the Netherlands. At its height, some 180 kehillot existed throughout the country.
. At the end of the war, with some 75% of Dutch Jews murdered in the Nazi concentration camps, many of these communities disappeared.
Some prominent Jewish communities in the Mediene who were totally destroyed by the Nazis include:
Other Jewish communities in the Mediene greatly declined because of the Holocaust (note: Jewish inhabitants are counted on affiliation to the local Jewish community/communities):
The tremendous decline and disappearance of dozens of Jewish communities throughout the Netherlands was not only due to the large numbers of Dutch Jews killed during the Holocaust, but also due to large-scale post-Holocaust emigration to countries like Israel
and the United States
, and migration within the Netherlands from the Mediene to Amsterdam.
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
kehillot
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
in the Netherlands outside of the capital Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the historical center of Dutch Judaism
History of the Jews in the Netherlands
Most history of the Jews in the Netherlands was generated 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...
. From the 18th century onwards up until the Holocaust, dozens of Jewish communities were created in towns big and small scattered throughout the Netherlands. At its height, some 180 kehillot existed throughout the country.
Disappeared Communities
At the eve of the Holocaust, some 140 Jewish communities existed throughout the Netherlands, many of them located outside of Amsterdam and the RandstadRandstad
Image:Randstad_with_scale.png|400px|thumb|right|Clickable schematic map of the Randstadcircle 528 380 26 Schipholrect 426 356 498 436 Haarlemmermeerrect 399 166 479 245 Velsencircle 250 716 32 Delftcircle 220 642 60 The Hague...
. At the end of the war, with some 75% of Dutch Jews murdered in the Nazi concentration camps, many of these communities disappeared.
Some prominent Jewish communities in the Mediene who were totally destroyed by the Nazis include:
- ApeldoornApeldoornApeldoorn is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland, about 60 miles south east of Amsterdam, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a regional centre and has 155,000 . The municipality of Apeldoorn, including villages like Beekbergen, Loenen and Hoenderloo, has over 155,000...
(1,030 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish communities of DeventerDeventerDeventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
and Zutphen in 2000) - WinschotenWinschotenWinschoten is a former municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands.Population : 18.497; area: 22,24 km2.The origin of the name of Winschoten is not known but it has received nicknames. One of these is Molenstad . It has also been known, in living memory, as Sodom...
(493 Jewish inhabitants in 1940, community abolished in 1964) - ZandvoortZandvoortZandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...
(372 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of HaarlemHaarlemHaarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
in 1947) - DordrechtDordrechtDordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
(322 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1987) - MeppelMeppelMeppel is a municipality and a city in the northeast of the Netherlands, in the south-west of the province Drenthe.It developed in the 16th century as a transport and distribution inland harbour for turf...
(304 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of ZwolleZwolleZwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
in 1964)
- VeendamVeendamVeendam is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Dutch province of Groningen.A Holland America Line cruise ship, the MS Veendam, is named after the city.- Population centres :...
and WildervankWildervankWildervank is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Veendam, about 3 km south of the centre of Veendam itself....
(283 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of StadskanaalStadskanaalStadskanaal is a Canal, municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.The area is known for its peat mining.- Population centres :...
in 1948) - GoudaGoudaGouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
(223 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1964) - Hoogezand-SappemeerHoogezand-SappemeerHoogezand-Sappemeer is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. It is the second largest municipality in the province of Groningen, after the city of Groningen. It is well known for its ship building industry....
(222 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community abolished in 1948) - RijssenRijssenRijssen is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is part of Rijssen-Holten, one of thirteen municipalities in Twente. It has over 28,000 inhabitants...
(207 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community abolished in 1948) - StadskanaalStadskanaalStadskanaal is a Canal, municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.The area is known for its peat mining.- Population centres :...
(142 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of Groningen in 1988) - PekelaPekela- Local government :The municipal government of Pekela consists of 15 seats, which are divided as follows:...
(140 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of StadskanaalStadskanaalStadskanaal is a Canal, municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.The area is known for its peat mining.- Population centres :...
in 1948) - BorculoBorculoBorculo is a former municipality and a village in the eastern Netherlands, in the Province of Gelderland.On January first 2005 the municipality Borculo merged with the municipalities of Eibergen, Neede and Ruurlo into the municipality of Berkelland....
(139 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of WinterswijkWinterswijkWinterswijk is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.Winterswijk is a town with a population of some 30,000 in the Achterhoek which lies in the most eastern part of the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was also known as Winethereswick, Winriswic or Wenterswic...
in 1980) - BeverwijkBeverwijkBeverwijk is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast...
(135 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish community of HaarlemHaarlemHaarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
in 1947) - DelfzijlDelfzijlDelfzijl is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated on the left bank of the river Ems estuary, which forms the border with Germany.-Population centres:...
(134 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community abolished in 1947) - LochemLochemLochem is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. it is also the hebrew word for soldier or warrior. On 1 January 2005, the municipality merged with the municipality of Gorssel.- Population centres :Small hamlets are printed in italics....
(125 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community abolished in 1947) - SittardSittardSittard is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is the southernmost province of the Netherlands.On the east Sittard borders on Germany . It has some 48,400 inhabitants . Sittard is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen...
(125 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community abolished in 1947) - HeerlenHeerlenHeerlen is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the province of Limburg. It forms part of Parkstad Limburg, , an agglomeration of about 220,000 inhabitants.After its early Roman beginnings and a rather modest medieval period, Heerlen...
(120 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community merged with the Jewish communities of MaastrichtMaastrichtMaastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
and RoermondRoermondRoermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
in 1986) - DierenDierenDieren is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Rheden, between Zutphen and Arnhem.Dieren was a separate municipality until 1818, when it became a part of Rheden....
(114 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community abolished in 1950) - GroenloGroenloGroenlo is a city in the municipality of Oost Gelre, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands on the German border, a region in the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek . Groenlo was a municipality until January 1, 2005, when it merged with Lichtenvoorde. Until May 19 2006 Groenlo...
(105 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, community abolished in 1950)
Other Jewish communities in the Mediene greatly declined because of the Holocaust (note: Jewish inhabitants are counted on affiliation to the local Jewish community/communities):
- The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
(10,605 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, 284 Jewish inhabitants in 1998) - RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(10,515 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, 246 Jewish inhabitants in 1998) - Groningen (2,408 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, 53 Jewish inhabitants in 1998)
- ArnhemArnhemArnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
(1,389 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, 70 Jewish inhabitants in 1998) - Leeuwarden (733 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, 45 Jewish inhabitants in 1998)
- AssenAssenAssen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...
(581 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, 51 Jewish inhabitants in 1998) - Nijmegen (450 Jewish inhabitants in 1930, 30 Jewish inhabitants in 1998)
The tremendous decline and disappearance of dozens of Jewish communities throughout the Netherlands was not only due to the large numbers of Dutch Jews killed during the Holocaust, but also due to large-scale post-Holocaust emigration to countries like Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and migration within the Netherlands from the Mediene to Amsterdam.