Lekkerkerk

The history of the Jews of Amersfoort begins in the mid-seventeenth century. In approximately 1650, a group of Portuguese Jews became the first Jews to settle in the city. Ten years later, the first Amersfoort Jew was awarded full rights as a citizen of the city. Soon after, the Ashkenazi Jews began to arrive at Amersfoort and, in 1676, an Ashkenazic Jew was appointed leasehold of the municipal lending bank.

During the first years of Jewish settlement in Amersfoort, religious services were held in a private house. The Jewish community of Amersfoort grew steadily and soon enjoyed the protection of the municipal leaders, not least due to its role in the tobacco trade. Around 1700, a small cemetery was established near the Bloemendaalse Poort. Eventually, the growth of the Ashkenazi Jewish population led to the construction in 1727 of an Ashenazi synagogue in the Juffersgat. The Portuguese community slowly declined.