The oldest functioning Jewish library in the world, housed within the Portuguese Synagogue complex on Mr. Visserplein. The collection spans five centuries of Sephardic intellectual life: rare manuscripts, early printed Hebrew books, rabbinical correspondence, and community records that document the history of Amsterdam's Portuguese-Jewish community from its founding by Inquisition refugees.
The library is part of the Portuguese Synagogue visit, which is worth the admission on its own — the main sanctuary, lit entirely by candles, is one of the most atmospheric religious spaces in the city. The library rooms contain original 17th-century wooden bookcases still holding their original collections. A remarkable survivor: the building and its contents were left untouched during the German occupation, one of the very few Jewish institutions in Amsterdam to escape destruction.