The Dutch Israelite Religious Community of The Hague (Dutch: Nederlands Israëlitische Gemeente Den Haag; NIG Den Haag) is the AshkenaziOrthodox Jewish community in The Hague and is a member of the Nederlands-Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap (English: Dutch Israelite Religious Community) (NIK).[2]
The congregation holds regular Shabbat activities as well as Jewish festivals year-round. There are educational activities for all age groups and cultural meetings at the CHAJ centre.[3] The leader of the congregation is rabbi Shmuel Katzman.
The NIG Bezuidenhout Synagogue, or Adas Jessurun Synagogue, is located behind an inconspicuous entrance at Cornelis Houtmanstraat 11 in Bezuidenhout. Established in 1986, the synagogue's name is loosely translated as the Community of Israel. The synagogue was designed by the Van Veldhoven Partners Architectenbureau in The Hague. The foundation stone was laid on 5 June 1986 and the synagogue was officially inaugurated on 30 September 1986, in the presence of Queen Beatrix. A number of objects in the synagogue, including the old Torah scrolls, originate from an eighteenth-century synagogue on the Voldersgracht.[4]
The NIG Scheveningen Synagogue is located at Doorniksestraat 152 in Scheveningen. Occupied from 2010, when the Beis Jisroeil (House of Israel) synagogue was abandoned,[4] the complex contains a mikveh, a community centre CHAJ, educational facilities and a library.
Other facilities
In The Hague there are also three Jewish cemeteries.[5]
Notable members
Rabbi Shaul Hager Halevi, an influential 18th-century rabbi who was known even in the far east.[6]
