The Municipality
The Dutch-Israelite Congregation (NIG) Groningen looks back on a long history.
It began in 1744 with the establishment of a Jewish congregation in Groningen.
If at first Jewish sermons were held in a house, as the congregation grew, so did the need for a synagogue.
This resulted in the construction of a synagogue on Folkingestraat.
The Jewish community in Groningen has a long history dating back to the 16th century when the first Jews were admitted to the city.
The admission of Jews was not a matter of course at that time.
The situation improved somewhat in the 17th century when landowners in the province of Groningen granted Jews a license to settle.
At the end of this century, Jewish families were allowed to remain in the city of Groningen for extended periods of time, including Levi Joseph, born in Poland and previously living in Appingedam.
The attitude of the authorities changed in the 18th century when trade interests took on greater significance than prejudice from church circles.
In 1731 Mozes Goldsmidt from Amsterdam was allowed to open a bank of loan together with a Protestant guardian.
He settled with his family in the city and was allowed to follow the Jewish tradition in his home.
The Jewish community grew and in 1744 a request was made by Isaac Joseph Cohen to establish a Jewish Congregation.
Regulations were drawn up for this purpose and approved by Mayor and Council.
In 1756 the synagogue was consecrated and led by rabbis and cantors.
The Jewish Congregation also had a permanent sexton from the Kisch family.
The French era brought great changes in the status of Jews through the granting of civil rights and equality with Dutch citizens.
The Jewish Congregation became part of the Dutch-Israelite denomination established by law in 1814.
As an officially recognized denomination and as citizens, the Jewish community became part of social life in the city and province of Groningen.
Internal discussions about tradition or adaptation increased and sometimes led to great tensions.
Nevertheless, a Jewish neighborhood in Groningen between the Vismarkt and the Zuiderdiep had much to do with the location of the synagogue.
Center
Groningen’s synagogue, especially the building consecrated in 1906 at the end of Folkingestraat, was and is the visible centerpiece of Groningen’s Jewish community.
Built in an oriental style in the form of a church building, the Groningen synagogue is a model of integration alongside preservation of an Orthodox Jewish tradition.
In the prewar period the Jewish Congregation also had a clear social function with care for the poor, sick and deceased.
In the postwar period the synagogue seemed to be in decline, but was saved from demolition and restored in the period 1976-1981.
The rededication took place on November 29, 1981, after which the synagogue once again functioned as a focal point of the Jewish community and as a cultural space focusing on Jewish themes.
Jewish life now
The anti-Jewish horrors of World War II are still felt and felt throughout local Jewish life.
The community is small and the number of members of the Jewish Congregation limited.
The reopening of the synagogue in Folkingestraat is a great incentive for the Jewish Congregation to continue and to offer its members the best possible platform for the experience of Jewish tradition and identity.
The composition of the Jewish Congregation is international with a mix of people from very diverse countries.
The atmosphere is open and social and mainly focused on mutual solidarity and helpfulness.
The Jewish Congregation is open to contacts with other faiths and is focused on interfaith dialogue.
Convocation
The NIG Groningen keeps its members and interested parties regularly informed through the periodic publication of a convocation