Gouda, South Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe
Gouda Synagogue Holocaust Memorial
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 21, 2025
1. Gouda Synagogue Holocaust Memorial - text panel
(Hebrew text not transcribed)
In 1827 is op deze plaats de synagoge van de nederlands-israëlietische gemeente gebouwd
Tijdens de nazi-terreur tussen 1940 en 1945 zijn bijna 400 goudse joden vermoord
Mannen, vrouwen en kinderen driekwart van de joods-goudse bevolking
Hun nagedachtenis zij tot zegen
On this site in 1827 the synagogue of the Dutch-Israelite community was built. During the Nazi terror between 1940 and 1945, almost 400 Gouda Jews were murdered - Men, women and children - three quarters of the Jewish population of Gouda. May their memory be a blessing.
Erected 1996 by Stichting Joodse Herinneringsplaquettes.
Topics and series. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Synagogues, and the The Holocaust series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1827.
Location. 52° 0.717′ N, 4° 42.494′ E. Marker is in Gouda, Zuid-Holland (South Holland). It is on Turfmarkt, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Turfmarkt
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Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Benelux Low Countries, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Voormalige synagoge / Former Synagogue (here, next to this marker); Turfmarkt 54, 54a en 56 (within shouting distance of this marker); Woonhuis voogd Erasmus / Home of Erasmus’ Guardian (within shouting distance of this marker); Bank de wed. Knox and Dortland / Bank of the Widow Knox and Dortland (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Sara van Dantzig (about 150 meters away); Het Goudse Badhuis / The Gouda Bathhouse (about 150 meters away); De Waag / The Weighing House (about 180 meters away); Salomon Benjamin Gompers (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gouda.
Also see . . . Gouda (Joods Cultureel Kwartier). The destruction of the Jewish community:
The(Submitted on July 11, 2025.)rolls of the Jewish community at Gouda were augmented in 1935 when the community at Woerden was merged into its ranks. The Jewish population of Gouda also increased during the first year of the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War. In 1940, a number of the many foreign Jewish refugees who had taken up residence in the Netherlands arrived in Gouda following the mass expulsion by the Germans of foreign Jews from cities and towns in the coastal regions of the Netherlands.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 21, 20252. Gouda Synagogue Holocaust Memorial - decorative upper panelThe memorial was created by the artist Ralph Prins. Here the sixth star has been cut from the Gouda city coat of arms, symbolizing the murdered Jews from Gouda.
A separate school for Jewish children was established at Gouda following the Germans' wartime barring of Jewish pupils from the town's public schools. The school remained open until April of 1943 and the completion of the deportation of Jews from Gouda.
Deportations of Jews from Gouda commenced late in August of 1942. Local members of the Dutch collaborationist party NSB joined the Germans in implementing the deportations. Almost all the Jews living in Gouda, including the residents of the Jewish old age home, were deported and later murdered. The interior of the synagogue was vandalized and destroyed during the war; the synagogue's Torahscrolls were hidden and later recovered, as were a number of its ceremonial objects.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 21, 20253. Gouda Synagogue with Holocaust MemorialThe two memorial panels are visible here on the front door of the former synagogue.
Jewish life in Gouda did not resume following the end of the war. The farm school at Catharinahoeve was sold a few years after the war, as were the synagogue and Jewish home for the aged. The Jewish community at Gouda was formally abolished in 1964 and subsequently was administratively merged into the Jewish community at Rotterdam.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 101 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 11, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
