Kwekelstraat 16 | synagogue (2000)

In February 2000, a journalist aptly described the archaeological investigation of the old synagogue on Kwekelstraat in Gorinchem as a "dig from the day before yesterday." For the first time, a conscious search was conducted for a building that had been demolished less than half a century earlier.

Apart from a few photographs and construction drawings, there is hardly anything in Gorinchem that reminds us of this Jewish place of prayer.

Synagogue Kwekelstraat Gorinchem ca. 1900 – 1910.

The synagogue was demolished in 1958 as part of urban redevelopment. Due to the dramatic decline in the Jewish community after World War II, its preservation was no longer feasible. The site was subsequently used as a parking lot for 42 years.

Shops

When project developer ING Real Estate wanted to develop the site with shops, this prompted further investigation of the building's foundations. Although much remains were lost during the 1958 demolition, the floor plan was largely determined. A significant discovery was the almost intact ritual bath (mikvah), which was preserved and repurposed within the new building on the site.

3D reconstruction of a synagogue by Rabbi Ing. I. Tal van Kekem, Gorinchem © 2024.

First Jews in Gorinchem

It is not known exactly how long Jews were settled in Gorinchem. It is clear that in 1686 a Jew was sworn in as a citizen. In the course of the 18^e century, new Jewish citizens sporadically settled in the city, all of whom were the so-called Jewish oath took. By the council of the Batavian Republic this oath and subordination was abolished and the Jews were made equal as Batavian citizens. The oldest proof of the existence of a colde in Gorinchem is the registration of Salomon, son of Levi Mozes Hartog and Saartje Salomon in 1787 in the birth register of the High German or Israelite Community in Gorinchem. In 1788 6 Jewish citizens settled in the city, as many as in the previous 102 years! This sudden increase was possibly the result of a changing policy that was pursued by the city council with regard to the Jews and of which the birth register is the first proof.

Back of synagogue ca. 1950 – 1958

Cemetery

In 1795, the Jewish residents requested to bury their dead in or near Gorinchem. Before that time, the deceased had to be brought to the cemetery in Leerdam the same day. The Jewish community's request was apparently granted, because between 1803 and 1811, Jews were buried on the city wall. The exact location of this cemetery is no longer known, but Bastion IV or Bastion V may be considered. Slowly but surely, at the end of the 18^e and the beginning of the 19^e century to gain their place as citizens of the city of Gorinchem. In 1809 the Hollandsch Hoogduitsch-Israëlitische Gemeente had no fewer than 78 members, which was a considerable improvement compared to 1788.

After 1814, Gorinchem fell under the jurisdiction of the main synagogue of Rotterdam. In the same year, a new and more spacious cemetery outside the city walls on the Arkelsedijk was acquired. However, Gorinchem lacked a permanent meeting place. There was no synagogue, although one could have been established for quite some time due to the size of the community or kille. A Jewish religious service requires a minimum of ten men (the so-called minyan) and the kille had had that size for almost 20 years.

Entrance to the Jewish cemetery on the Arkelsedijk (2016)

Synagogue

It is not clear where the worship service was performed within the city until that time. They eventually succeeded in buying an abandoned church in a backyard on the Havendijk and on June 20, 1817, they could consecrate the first synagogue. The church turned out to be a ruin and after 20 years the village, which had grown considerably in size in the meantime, decided to look for another location to build a new synagogue.

With subsidies from the state and the municipality and a collection among its own members, it was possible to buy two plots of land on the Kwekelstraat for f. 1840 in 6.938,40, where eventually in 1841 a completely new building would be built, which could be inaugurated with great ceremony in 1842 (5602) by the Rotterdam chief rabbi Emanuel ben Chajim Löwenstam. It was a worthy building that the 130 members could rightly be proud of. The old house that stood on the plot east of the synagogue was renovated and set up as a Hebrew school. The remote location on the backyard on the Havendijk was exchanged for a place among the other churches in the heart of Gorinchem that underlined the accepted position of the Jewish people of Gorcum.

In 1902, a new building was built on the west side of the synagogue (now Kwekelstraat 24 – 26). It consisted of a downstairs and upstairs apartment, housing the Kalker, De Leeuw, Meijer and Poons families, among others. A new bathhouse was also set up here. It is not known how long this bath was used. Although this building has been renovated a number of times in the meantime, it is likely that the bath is still located under the upper room in the house.

Synagogue on Kwekelstraat circa 1950 – 1958

The synagogue on the Kwekelstraat was in use between 1842 and around 1950. After the Second World War and the deportations, not enough Jews had returned to maintain the synagogue. In 1955, the building and the associated school were sold to the municipality. The municipality demolished the dilapidated synagogue in March 1958. As part of the urban redevelopment and the construction of the Nieuwe Doelen theatre, the building had to make way. The site served as a car park for the next 42 years. Not much of the building has been preserved. All that remains is a weather vane with the year 5601 (1842), two memorial stones from the facade and three stained glass windows that are in the depot of the Gorcums Museum.

Front facade of synagogue ca. 1950 – 1958.

Interior

In the Jewish religion, the synagogue is a central place of gathering for prayer and study. That is why the building is also called 'synagogue' (school) is called. The entire service in the synagogue is contained in a prayer book or SiddurThe times and manner in which the Tora (the five books of Moses) are read, the Shema (the first main part of the liturgy) is said and the prayer or Tefila are recited, are indicated therein.

The interior of the synagogue should emphasize the importance of the central Torah. Characteristic features are therefore: the presence of a cupboard or Ark for the Torah scrolls, an elevation or biema in the middle and a separate space for women with a view of the closet and biema.

Interior of a synagogue with a view of the Ark

The Ark is located on the east side of the prayer room in the direction of Jerusalem. The cabinet is flanked by columns and is often provided with quotations. On the Ark the eternally burning light (not tamed) and before it parochet (curtain), made of precious textiles. On the right is usually the nine-armed hanukah candlestick. In front of the Ark is a lectern or love, from where the celebrant recites much of the liturgy.

Reconstruction of the synagogue floor plan by Bert Stamkot.

The Torah scroll is treated with respect. One stands when it is carried to the bimah, where the rabbi will read a chapter. The poles to which the scroll is attached are called trees of life and are decorated with silver towers with tinkling bells or with a Torah crown (keter Torah). Rolled up, the Torah is covered with a (often) precious cloak, which in turn is covered with a silver shield or heap and a yad (pointer) is hung. The benches in the synagogue face the bimah. The platform is surrounded by a balustrade. In the middle is a table covered with a beautifully decorated cloth in the colors of the holiday in question. Ceremonial objects for the various holidays were kept under the table.

Destroyed interior January 31, 1941.

After the synagogue closed, the inventory was sold and dispersed. For example, the Israelite community in Rotterdam took over many of the ritual objects, including a silver Torah crown, 5 Siprê Torah, 3 Torah mantles, a few small silver ornamental towers, a stand for a Torah mantle, a few school books, 3 sets of cloths for the Almemmor and Aron Hakodesj and a small silver yad. One of the other Torah mantles found a new destination in the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam. The Torah crown was sold, as was the large 18^e century chandeliers.

Construction of the first level in the work pit

Research objective

The aim of the research was to gather knowledge about the archaeological topography and material culture of Gorinchem: where were the buildings located, from which period did they date, what was their function, and what remains of material use have been found?

On the other hand, attention should be paid to the remains of the material culture, the circumstances of the find, the diachronic development both qualitatively and quantitatively, the remains of food patterns, use of resources, etc. Translated into questions, this comes down to, for example: Which utensils are found at the site? Which pottery, glass, metal, wood, etc. was used and for what? What quantities was used? Is this subject to change over time? Is it possible to make statements about the prosperity or social position of the residents, users, based on the finds? Is it possible to make statements about the preferences of the former residents?

The investigation of the site on Kwekelstraat was limited in terms of time, effort and finances. The question was necessarily adjusted to this. For the synagogue, the following points are important because of the limited nature of the investigation: Any remains of the synagogue had to be documented before they would be lost due to the upcoming construction work; The registration of earlier remains of habitation on the site. The collection and recovery of material remains (finds) that can be related to the use of the synagogue and the outbuildings and the older remains on site.

19^de century remains of synagogue, school building, mikveh and watercourse (grey)

Method research

The location of the synagogue was well known from tradition and historical research. However, there were some restrictions attached to the investigation of the plot that made the archaeological investigation difficult: due to the slight contamination of the soil, the excavated soil on the plot had to be kept separate from the clean topsoil and had to be dumped back after the excavation. This limited the size of the excavation pits to be constructed and therefore the clarity. The project developer also requested that excavation not be deeper than 1,8 m below street level due to expected problems with the settlement of the dumped soil that could hinder the construction work. Subsidence of the adjacent plots could also occur. The groundwork for the new buildings to be built did not go deeper than 1 meter below street level (approx. 0 - 0.5 m + NAP). On both the east and west sides of the plot along the side walls of the adjacent houses, a strip of approximately 2 meters remained untouched, due to the risk of subsidence.

Layer by layer, the eastern half of the site was exposed with an excavator to a depth of approximately 1,8 metres below ground level. This was sufficient to reveal the archaeological traces of the 20^e to the 16^e century. Traces containing finds were worked through by hand (shovel). All excavated soil was searched with great regularity using metal detectors. Almost all coins were found this way. Clearly closed concentrations of finds such as the filling of the watercourse and the barrel pits were sieved completely wet on a sieve with a mesh width of 2 mm, which allowed the majority of the finds to be collected. A few ecological samples with a content of 2 litres were also collected from these traces.

After this half had been fully investigated, the western half of the site was excavated in the same way. Smaller deep pits measuring 2,5 x 1 m were made at three locations to gain insight into the subsoil to a depth of ÷1.0 m NAP (approx. 2,5 metres below street level). Older traces from the 15^e century and earlier were still found to be abundantly present at this level, and therefore under the entire plot.

Along the east side of the plot a profile was drawn that was parallel to the wall of Kwekelstraat 2 – 12 at 14 metres. The profile has a height of 1,80 metres. The bottom reached to ÷0.30 m NAP. Due to lack of time it was decided to draw only a part of the east-west profile on the north side of the work pit. The course of the tracks was not very variable here, which is why this part can be considered representative for the entire plot.

Back of synagogue, drawing by HM den Uyl 1957

Thoroughly demolished

During the excavation, the walls of the synagogue appeared to have been completely destroyed by the demolition. The foundation of the synagogue consisted of two strips of rubble with lime mortar, poured into trenches dug into the clay. In these trenches were six rectangular foundations, built on pine quoins, each resting on four piles. Four of these foundations were exposed in the excavation pit, the two remaining foundations are probably still located against the building line of the plot west of the excavation pit. Together with the ritual bath, the mikveh, these foundations were the only remains of the synagogue still in the ground.

In the municipal archives of Gorinchem three photos have been preserved showing the interior, photographed in the direction of the ark. No images are known of the north side of the synagogue, where the consistory, the mikveh and the women's gallery were located. During the excavation, however, more clarity emerged about how these parts of the synagogue must have looked.

The mikveh and consistory were housed in an annex behind the synagogue during construction. This small building is clearly visible on a drawing by HM den Uyl, dating from shortly before the demolition. On this drawing by Den Uyl, the sloping tiled roof is visible, as well as the two small windows, which offered a view of the roof of the annex from the adjacent plot. Scars of this demolished extension, and of the synagogue were still clearly visible on the walls of the adjacent plot (Kwekelstraat 24 – 26).

Side facade Kwekelstraat 22 – 24, I: style of the gate, II: front facade, III: rear facade, IV: rear facade/​sloping roof of outbuilding, V: later passage from bathhouse to women's gallery, VI: former passage from bathhouse to women's gallery.

The schematic drawing of the side facade of this building shows how an entrance from the annex led to the women's gallery; a sloping path of plaster and mounting bolts of the banister show where this staircase was located. The walls of the front and back of the synagogue and the back of the annex were also clearly visible as scars on the facade, as well as the sloping roof of the building and the straight extension that covered the staircase with the women's gallery. The two windows above the staircase, which can be seen in Den Uyl's drawing, are still in the side facade.

Former synagogue on Kwekelstraat at the end of 19^de century

In the photo from the end of the 19^e century, it can be seen that on the site of the current plot Kwekelstraat 24 – 26, only a wall stood along the street. In 1902, a building was built on this site, against the side wall of the synagogue, in which a new bathhouse was also set up. Apparently there was a need for a larger and more comfortable accommodation for the bathing area. The staircase from the former mikveh will have lost its original function as access to the women's gallery, although the extension was never demolished until the final demolition of the synagogue, as evidenced by the drawing by Den Uyl, which was made a few months before the demolition. The balcony that can be seen on the left on the edge of the photo was probably the access to the women's gallery from the new bathing area. From these findings it can be concluded that the outside of this facade was originally the inside of a wall of the synagogue. After the demolition of the synagogue, this wall remained as a side wall of this building, and thus forms the only physical remnant of the synagogue on site. Today the wall is plastered, which also made the last visible remnant of the church building disappear from view.

Religious and social school

East of the watercourse, between the synagogue and the current house number 14, there was a building that was used by the Israelite community as a 'religious and social school'. This building already existed when the coffee house owner Lindeman bought two plots on behalf of the Israelite community in 1836. Before that, a school had already been established on the plot east of the city watercourse, although this part was sold in 1841 due to the cold weather. Only the house of Jacob de Groot remained in the possession of the Israelite community.

School class 1917.

This house was renovated at the same time as the synagogue was built. It is not clear whether it was given the new facade that was added on the 19^e century photo of the synagogue can be seen. The western side wall is partly built on the watercourse and next to an older foundation. The Jewish school was probably slightly larger than the 16^e-17^e century house that was there before, but it cannot be ruled out that part of the house is still 16^e-17^e century elements. The length was over 10 meters and the width was just over 7 meters if one assumes that the house connected to Kwekelstraat 14. The foundation of the front facade was still present under the pavement on Kwekelstraat. The rear house was approximately 3 meters long. In this rear house many foundation remains were lying through and on top of each other to which no function could be attributed. The rear of the house decreased slightly in width because the western wall partly followed the watercourse that disappeared under the rear house. The separation between the front and rear house keeps the rear facade on the predecessor of the school.

In the middle of the front house there was a large brick 19^e century water well where two lead pipes came out at the top that stuck deep into the well and disappeared through a cellar wall to the east on the other side. The cellar was a remnant from the 18^e century and filled in after the construction of the well. A third lead pipe ran at a slightly deeper level to the rear of the house and into the watercourse. This pipe served as an overflow. After being excavated, the well appeared to still be functioning. The water still welled up quickly. The well was at least 4,5 metres deep (to below ÷3,50m NAP). This well probably also served to fill the mikveh.

Foundation remains with the broken open water well on the left and the watercourse on the right.

Spiritual purity

In Jewish tradition, it is customary to use a mikveh, the bath in which a ritual immersion takes place under certain circumstances. This is done for women before they get married and after their menstrual period. Strictly orthodox men use the mikveh on Fridays to enter the Shabbat 'pure' and before their marriage to start this new phase of life 'pure'. Immersion also takes place for someone who converts to Judaism, as the conclusion of an often years-long period of preparation. In all these cases, it is about obtaining a form of spiritual purity. A mikveh must contain at least 40 se'a (approximately 500 litres) of 'running' water, which comes directly from a source, a river or the sea. Once this amount has been reached, it can be supplemented with tap water.

Mikveh of the former synagogue on Kwekelstraat in Gorinchem

At the back of the synagogue, at a depth of 0.75 cm + NAP, a brick mikveh of two by one and a half meters was found. The deepest part of the brick bath was accessible by brick steps and was covered with red, baked tiles. The bath rested on pine keps that were founded on poles, comparable to the four visible foundations of the synagogue. There was no drain, but in the eastern corner there was an overflow and a brick and tile gutter, which flowed into the watercourse. The top of the building was probably destroyed during the demolition, causing a number of steps to disappear.

After completion of the excavation, at the request of the Municipality of Gorinchem, the mikveh was moved 5 meters to the south using a crane truck. This allowed the mikveh to be preserved under the floors of the new building because it would not obstruct the pile-driving work at this location.

Oldest traces before 1841 under the synagogue

Under the Jewish school (end of 16^e century-1836)

In 1836, De Kille bought a “capital, solid and strong house and yard” from the “city teacher of the youth” Jacob de Groot, which would later be partly furnished as the Israelite school. In 1841, the Dutch Israelite Community of Gorinchem (NIGG) sold another part that was once used as a civic school. This building must have been the still existing building at Kwekelstraat 12 – 14.

The oldest traces of the ground on the plot of the synagogue and the school that date from before the construction in 1841 can already be found at a high level. Within the location of the Israelite school, at a level of approx. 1.10 m +NAP, the remains of an old floor level that was probably at or slightly below street level are located. The tiled floor lay on a layer of lime with some sand on top. The size of the tiles was 22x22x1,5 cm, they were unglazed and the bond was irregular. Half and quarter tiles were used for the floor. The shape of the lime layer showed that the floor had been largely removed for the construction of the large well in 1841.

Most likely this floor can be associated with wall remains dating from the 18th century.^e century or earlier and which are the remains of the school's predecessor. The side wall of this predecessor may have been built on the irregularly constructed foundation wall that stood against the east side of the watercourse. This wall consisted of an irregular bond of large red bricks measuring 30x15x7cm. The bricks were clearly reused. Based on the size, the bricks must have been 15^e -early 16^e century. Other places in the city also show such reuse of older building materials. During the excavation of house Paffenrode In 1997 the foundations of the house that was built at the end of the 16th century were found to be^e century was built of the same size large bricks. Perhaps these bricks came from the demolished late medieval city wall or the Burgundian castle the Blauwe Toren (Blue Tower)In any case, the construction of the fortifications and the major building work in Gorinchem from 1580 onwards must have released a great deal of building material that could gratefully be used for new construction and renovation.

The remains of a foundation running NW-SE formed the rear of this building. The interruptions in the wall may have marked the place where the wooden gable posts were placed for a house with a partly wooden rear façade. If we assume the symmetry of the building, the dimensions of this house were approximately 5,5 m wide and 6,5 m long. The façade on the street side must have been about a metre wider than the rear façade. There were two small cellars in the house. Whether they were in use at the same time is not known. It seems that they both date from the 18^e century. The cellar on the east side of the house was filled in during the 19^e century after the construction of the water cellar and the lead pipes. At the bottom of the cellar was a wooden barrel buried with, among other things, early 18^e century Gorcum pipes. The bottom of the barrel was at ÷0,20 m NAP. The other cellar was without a find. The bottom consisted of coniferous planks. The size of the bricks (22×10×4 cm) suggests that the cellar was in the 18^e century was built in. The bottom of this cellar was at ÷0,42 m NAP. The foundation of the house on the street side may still be present. The building line of the buildings in the 16^e-17^e century a little further south. The house therefore dates from the end of the 16^e century. The earliest mention of an owner of a house on this site is Thonis Fransz. from 1591 to before 1604. He may also have been the builder of this building. There is no evidence, either archaeologically or from the archives, of demolition or renovation of the house during the period 1591 – 1836. The facade of the Jewish school appears to be 19 in the photos^e century. The foundation wall found under the edge of the current paving on the Kwekelstraat also points to such a dating. This seems to contradict the historical data, but it was not unusual for only the front and side facades to be renewed. The rest of the house would be 16^e – 17^e century could have been with some 19^e century modifications to the front and back. If the house was newly built, this must have happened before the purchase of the NIGG in 1836. In that case, the old foundations were used because they were apparently still adequate. The funds that were available for the new synagogue only provided for the restoration of the adjacent house.

It is not impossible that the facade was also renovated at that time. The rear house north of track 116 is also a younger building. No traces of walls older than the 18^e century on this backyard.

In the land tax registers from before 1653, two houses are mentioned that stand between this plot and the next. It is not clear from the archives whether these houses were eventually added to the plot that was purchased by the NIGG. The excavation data clearly point to a single house site on the spot where Jacob de Groot's home once stood and where the Jewish school was later established.

The oldest remains under the school came from the grey clay layers that were preserved in some places up to 0,80m NAP. These contained shards of Siegburg stoneware (including Jacoba candlesticks) and red and grey pottery from the 14^e, but especially 15^e century.

Under the synagogue (14^e/15th century-1841)

At the time the NIGG purchased the plot in 1836, the land where the synagogue would later be built was undeveloped and had been laid out as a garden by the owner Jacob de Groot. When the plot was purchased in 1818, there was still a barn (formerly a coach house) on this plot, which was probably still used as such by the previous owner, coachman Johannes de Bruijn Gerritsz. De Groot demolished the barn shortly after purchasing the site and built a fence at the entrance to the barn. In 1798, there was still mention of a coach house, stables and yard with a shed and piggeons. The site was fenced off and, according to the deed of transfer, there was a manure heap. The stables, shed, manure heap and piggeons disappeared in the following twenty years, because De Groot no longer mentioned them when he purchased the plot and buildings.

Until 1788, there must have been a house on this plot. Whether this house was later used as a coach house cannot be determined from the archive documents. In 1690, there was another small house next to the house. The oldest archive data about construction on this plot dates from 1637, when an heir of Claes Corneliss and Lijsbeth Dircksdr. took over the house, yard with building house, “mountains and accessories” from the other heirs. The traces of construction under the later synagogue come from a separate period: three pits, part of a floor and the remains of a cellar or well, date from the 18^e century or earlier. The rectangular pit was filled with brick rubble, between which were fragments of large reddish-brown glazed stoneware cellar vats with large horizontally placed sausage ears dating from the second half of the 18^e century dating.

Together with the remains of the walls and the parts of the floor, this could have been the remains of a cellar of a house. Track 83 also seems to have the same date. The mention in the notarial archive of a house that must have been inhabited here until 1788 or a little later can be reconciled with these findings. The foundations of the houses had already been thoroughly removed before the synagogue was built. If this plot is compared with the adjacent plot of the Jewish school, it is noticeable that the foundation trenches of the synagogue have been dug far below the level where one lets 16^e in 17^e century traces can be expected. Only the deepest buried traces of cellars have been preserved.

Water well

The well consisted of a collar of 2 layers of tapered yellow bricks (shape: approx. 17×8×4 cm, 17^e century?) with three buried wooden barrels of approx. 80 cm high underneath that were placed inside each other. All the oak staves were still present. The top of the stone collar was at 0,58 m, the bottom of the pit at ÷1,40 m NAP. The stone collar must have been much higher, at least a meter of masonry has disappeared. The pit was filled with a filling of highly humus clay and sand. From the few finds it could be concluded that the pit must still have been in use around 1750. The pit had already fallen into disuse earlier but was demolished when the foundation of the synagogue was laid. At three places (A, B and C) a little deeper was dug to be able to view the subsoil. Depth at A: ÷1,80 m NAP (bottom of the east side of the watercourse sp. 80), depth B: ÷0,70 m NAP, depth C: ÷1,20 m NAP. In all three viewing holes, deep excavations, possibly manure pits, were found at the deepest level, with 15^e century pottery (grey earthenware and unglazed Siegburg stoneware). In test pit A were the 16^e century traces of the watercourse. In test pit C the outcrops of two raised layers with brown-gray clay with 15^e century pottery, cinders and rubble. There were no traces of pre-18th century buildings in the test pits^e century.

Opened waterway

Watercourse

To the east of the eastern boundary of the synagogue foundations, the top of a tapered brick barrel vault was found, extending from the street side in a northeasterly direction, parallel to the side wall of the synagogue, turning east under the rear building of house number ¹⁴⁄₁₂The type of brick, its sizes, and the mortar of the upper level of this watercourse were similar to the masonry of the piers of the synagogue and the mikveh, and probably represent one construction phase with them. This vault was supported on two walls on either side, between which was a layer of beer of about 60 cm thick with 19^e in 20^e century finds, mainly glass and pottery, but also rubber, milk caps and a cartridge case of a German-made rifle, dating from 1938, of a calibre that was still in use during the Second World War. This showed that this sewer must have been in use at the time the synagogue existed. This was also evident from the course of the drain of the mikveh that ended in this sewer. At a deeper level, older construction phases could be distinguished in the two walls of the watercourse. Under the 19^e century masonry contained several levels that were built with the considerably smaller 17^e century IJssel bricks.

Multiple floors

At the lowest levels, medium-sized red bricks were found, often with traces of reuse. This reuse had been ongoing during the 15^e in 16^e century in Gorinchem, which will be discussed later. Many of the oldest traces in the work pit contain these bricks. Due to the frequent reuse of bricks, these findings do not constitute explicit dating, but the stratigraphic structure of the types of bricks does indicate construction phases that stretched over several centuries.

In the eastern corner, the work pit was deepened to 2.00 m –NAP and the southern wall of the watercourse appeared to have been built of bricks to 1.80 m –NAP, where the northern wall transitioned into a revetment of poles and planks at 0.20 m –NAP. The southern (and eastern) side of the watercourse was probably the first to be provided with a brick wall, on which the foundations of the buildings on this plot were also placed (see further in this text). Along the northern side of this revetment, peaty deposits along outcrops of the clayey subsoil seemed to indicate the presence of a ditch or watercourse, as a predecessor of the stone watercourse. The oldest datable finds from the lower filling of the watercourse dated from the end of the 16^e century. It is likely that the watercourse was canalized during this period, which is also consistent with historical sources, which indicate that since the beginning of the 17^e century the “city waterway” is mentioned as a parcel separation. The lack of finds from the 17^e in 18^e century indicates that the waterway was emptied to prevent silting up.

Church council during the 75th anniversary of the synagogue in 1917.

June 4, 1841 Tender under higher Approval

Today, the fourteenth of June in the year eighteen hundred and forty-one, at noon, in the inn of Reinier Savelsberg, on the Langendijk, in Gorinchem,
At the request and in the presence of the gentlemen Enoch van der Sluis, Izaäk Hijmans, and Nathan van Straten, all merchants, residing in Gorinchem, in this matter in their capacity, the first-mentioned as elder, the second-mentioned as supervisor, and the last-mentioned as treasurer, together forming the College of Manhigim of the Ring Sijnagoge of the Israelite Congregation in Gorinchem, and thus for and on behalf of that Congregation.

I, Cornelis Gerardus Boonzajer, public notary, residing in Gorinchem, assisted by Mr. Cornelis Meuleman, Clerk at the cantonal court, and Machiel Valke, Bailiff, both residing in Gorinchem, as witnesses requested hereto, have publicly offered for tender and acceptance the work mentioned below, and this according to and in accordance with the specifications and conditions of tender drawn up by the Gentlemen Bestowers in Gorinchem, signed on the eleventh of June, eighteen hundred and forty-one, Number three hundred and twenty-eight, seven and a quarter pages, without references, registered in Gorinchem on the eleventh of June, eighteen hundred and forty-one, part twenty-one, folio thirty recto, section one, received for right with the thirty-eight surcharges, one guilder, ten and a half cents, signed by the receiver Rom, attached to this minute and stated therein, and which conditions are deemed to have been inserted in their entirety and to which reference is hereby made.

In order to proceed to the intended tender, the following are offered for the same purpose:
The construction of a completely new church, as well as a bathroom and consistory, all to be placed on a site at the Blijdenhoek or Kwekelstraat, behind the five virgins, next to the former or old city school in Gorinchem, as well as carrying out some repairs to the house next to it, including all the necessary building materials and supplies.
The same work was accepted, under further approval, both by the Lords Bestowers and by the Government of these countries, by Jan van Dooremaalen, mason, residing in Gorinchem, for and about the sum of four thousand three hundred and ninety guilders.

And after reading it, he signed here.
(wg) J. van Dooremaalen

Thus publicly done, tendered and passed in Gorinchem, on the spot, on the day, by, for and in the presence as stated in the heading hereof, and, after having been read out, the contractor above under his parcel, as well as the tenderers, witnesses and Notary Boonzajer, at the end of this minute, have signed under the same Notary.

(wg)
E. van der Sluis
I. Hijmans
N. van Straten
Mr. Valke
C. Meuleman
CG Boonzajer

Specification, after which the Church Board of the Israelite Community in Gorinchem, in the presence of an authorized official, will publicly tender the construction of a completely new church, as well as a bathroom and consistory, all to be placed on a site at the Blijdenhoek or Kwekelstraat, behind the Vijf Maagden, next to the former or old City Civic School in Gorinchem, as well as carrying out some repairs to the house next to it, including all the necessary building materials and supplies and described below.

Article 1 Description of the work

The measure used in this specification is the Dutch ell, divided into palms, inches and stripes, the weight is the Dutch pound.

Article 2

The length of the church building is internally long eleven ells and wide six ells. The bathroom internally three ells, and fifty inches long and wide three ells, fifty inches. The Consistory internally long three ells, fifty inches and wide three ells, fifty inches. The divisions will be made according to the plan and elevation drawings and according to the results of the true size, which are available thereof.

Article 3

In the section along line a-b, the side gables on the ground floor of the church are one and a half bricks heavy, and in the section along line c-d, the front and back facades are also on the ground floor, half a brick heavy. The height of the masonry is measured from the floor of the church to the top of the wall plate, six ells, fifty inches.

Article 4

The ground floor of the church, that of the bathroom and consistory, will be twenty inches higher than the top of the current street.

Article 5 Graves of the Foundations

The contractor will have to do the necessary excavation for the foundations, namely after the plan drawing, seven palms deeper than the top of the street, to such a width that the foundations can be laid therein unhindered. If it is found that the ground for the erection of the said building was insufficient, the contractor will, on the order of the Gentlemen Bestowers or a person appointed for that purpose, drive as many mast piles into the ground at the four corners of the dug trench, with the necessary pine caps and plates on top, as he will be ordered. Each pile three ells long, heavy on the head twenty inches diameter and at the point fourteen to fifteen inches, for which the contractor will then be paid an additional five guilders for each pile, including the supplier and the labor costs.

Article 6 Foundations

Before commencing the masonry, the contractor shall place in the foundation trenches a layer of rubble of sufficient width, twelve inches thick; tamp it down firmly and cover it with three inches of sand.

To lay the foundations for the church, three and a half bricks in weight; to lay the first two in sand, to wash them well, and to build the rest in lime mortar, to cut a small stone every two palms on each side, and to work it in such a way that the said walls, at a height of twenty inches under the top of the street, still retain two bricks in weight.

Then further build the perpendicular walls of the church, one and a half bricks thick, with the best hard grey in strong bastard trass, up to a height of fifty inches below the top of the street.

The foundations of the bathroom and consistory, the uprights of which must rise from one stone, to be laid with a weight of one and a half bricks and a height of six layers or thirty inches.

The separation wall, the vertical position of which must be half a brick, to be constructed with the weight of one brick and the height of four layers or twenty inches in lime mortar, just as has been said of the foundations of the church.

Article 7 Masonry

All masonry work must be laid exactly level according to the drawing, with whole and three-quarter bricks in the strongest cross bond, with covered joints on the inside and outside, completely filled with mortar and always levelling each intersection from corner to corner, washing it in and ensuring that the bricks are properly wetted before laying and are air-dry during laying.

Article 8 Supplementation of the Foundations

The foundations will not be filled until all the masonry has been brought up to the height of the top of the street.

Entrance hall synagogue Kwekelstraat Gorinchem

Article 9 Rebellion

The front and back of the church are to be constructed on the brick foundations of one and a half bricks with the necessary lumps, thick half a brick, wide sixty inches up to the height of the dome and from there go up with one brick to under the wall plate. The two side walls of the church are to be constructed on the brick foundations of one and a half bricks up to the height of the dome and from there go up with one brick to above the ridge.

The front will be built with hard grey and quite red on the inside, and the back front as well as the two side walls with quite farmer's grey and quite red on the inside, at a height of one yard above the ground floor serving as a transom window, will be built with strong bastard transom and from there to below the wall plate and above the ridge with lime mortar.

The upright walls of the bathroom and consistory are to be constructed on the brick foundations, measuring one brick up to the wall plate, as well as the separation wall, laid on the foundations measuring half a brick; all these walls are to be built with plaster in lime mortar.

To build a stove in the bathroom with the necessary iron pot; this pot will be supplied by the Lords Bestowers, with a chimney twenty by twenty inches of IJssel brick, in the manner as will be indicated, as well as a bricked watertight well, as well as a staircase in the bath about six steps deep, internally one ell, seventy-nine inches long and one ell three inches wide with shutters and an oak edge to be made on it as is proper and as indicated on the drawing, everything as the nature of such work requires, and to lead all the water into the watercourse according to the satisfaction of the Lords Bestowers.

Furthermore, the roof of the church should be covered with blue, best Woerden tiles and frosted.
To plumb the walls as prescribed and to install the following door and skylight frames.

To make the door for the entrance to the church as a trapdoor, to be provided with lead and cord as appropriate, as well as to make the pavement ten ells, eighty inches long, between its roll layer of flat hard clinkers in mortar with IJssel base stone, three brick arched frames, serving as light windows, each to be provided with an Escausine dulper, about one ell, forty-two inches long, thirteen by thirty-five inches thick; - to make in all arched frames in each window a pane, which can be opened and closed, with snaps and cord as appropriate.

In the rear facade three brick arched frames to form skylights, one door frame to enter the bathroom and the consistory.
In the two side walls there are two arched frames for skylights above the dome.
In the bathroom one door and one light frame.
In the consistory one door and one skylight.

Article 10

All the above-mentioned walls must be made perfectly level, and when laying the bricks, immediately fill them with lime from the inside, and sand them down without requiring or having to use much mortar for levelling; special attention must be paid to this and to the construction and finishing of the brickwork, in order to prevent the rendering from expanding, flaking, etc., and to promote the bond with the masonry lime.

To fill the front with cut joints, and to fill the side walls, rear front, bathroom and consistory with the daylings, all according to the requirements of such a work. To fill the walls of the bathroom and consistory under the row, and to plaster and refinish the walls up to the attic sections. In the bathroom the contractor will have to lay a floor of the best blue Rhine tiles, as well as a white tile from below along the walls, as such work requires.

Article 11

The mortars should be as follows:
The soft bastard trass, six parts lime, one part trass and two parts sand.
Lime mortar, six parts lime, four parts sand.
The limestone limestone
The Dordrecht stamp
The sand is pure sharp river sand
The lime will have to be made in a properly covered place.

Article 12 Carpentry

To assemble all the carpentry as much as possible with pin and hole, to plane the frames completely and neatly flat according to the requirements of each work, to plane them and to join them together according to the best method of joining, to apply paint and to nail them firmly.

To straighten the floor joists of the church, the conventicle and the consistory on one side, and to properly plane and square the floorboards.
To plane the attic trusses of the bathroom and consistory, to plane the parts on both sides, to square them, to plough, to lay and to drive them.
To plan the roof trusses, shoots and purlins, roof sections for cladding, etc.
The doors and light frames for the church, bathroom and consistory required, must be composed according to the drawing or as will be ordered, as well as the door frame for the entrance to the church of grains of Riga wood, thick fifteen inches, five stripes with twenty inches, six stripes, to be placed on Escausine base nuts, long fifty-five inches, with its dulper in between, wide two palms, seven stripes with one palm, five inches, five stripes; - to make in it two panel doors of grains of northern wood, remaining four inches thick; the panels of wainscot thick three inches, three stripes, to be hung on three suitable arched knees with double joints and to be closed with a suitable pull lock with two keys and screws to be provided; as well as the window above the door of grain wood, the bars of wainscot and a cutting in the glass wood and on the outside to be worked with pilasters of grain wood, thick five inches, wide two palms, nine inches with its canopy above it to be worked after the Corinthian order in coverings with heavy organ lead and with two lion heads in the doors.

All the wood required for the exterior work will have to be of Riga grain wood.
The window frame is made of thirty-nine stripes of wood.
The wood, especially the interior, must be pine and of the following weight:
The sprouts are heavy, ten to sixteen inches.
The purlin ten to sixteen inches and the ridge eight to ten inches.
The roof boards are heavy, three to thirty inches of pine boards.
The arches for the dome are made of grinding parts, clamped against each other in double layers.
The planks are heavy two inches, six stripes of ten inches each.
The support beam above the columns of the women's church is thirteen to eighteen inches heavy.
The registers of the women's church weigh ten to fifteen inches.
The floor on the same heavy thirty-nine stripes.
The floor in the church is made of oak ribs, heavy ten to ten inches, not wider from one center to the other than ninety inches, laid on cubes and fastened with thirty-nine stripes of pine planks two long.
The floor in the consistory consists of oak ribs, heavy eight to ten inches and attached with thirty-nine stripe planks.
To place the tower on the church according to the drawing, all in accordance with the nature of such work, wide one ell, forty inches.

The interior of the church, such as the pews, should not be made into revolving lecterns, the pews should be placed along the wall in the manner indicated in the drawing, and all the pews in the church should be hung and closed as they should be.
The pulpit and the storage cabinet for the Mosaic law scrolls are to be made according to the Corinthian order of pine wood, as well as two lecterns are to be made of grain wood in the manner indicated, the doors of wainscot, the columns of grain wood, the heart drilled from it, all in the manner indicated and in the plan drawing, and the pulpit is to be placed in a more elegant manner according to the church administrators' approval.

The architraves around the door frames, etc., the columns and counter are to be worked according to the drawing and the final result.
To make a staircase for the women's church according to the plan with a tread of sixteen inches, the quarter beams of five and twenty-five inches, the steps thirty-nine stripes with a groove at the front.
The bumpers twenty-six lines with the necessary railings to be placed there as required.
Still: to make a secret easement at the back of the place against the church building, to place it there as required with its sewer, pot and zinc funnel, to cover it from above with a zinc plate of number fourteen, and to lead the water through a zinc pipe as appropriate.

Furthermore, a portal with the necessary framework, etc., to be made, two yards, thirty inches high, of pine wood, two inches thick, six stripes, the framework five by eight inches thick, with a trap door in it to suit.
To be fitted in the front, according to the drawing and the final result, a moulding in the Doric order, and to be fitted in the back, a Cologne gutter with all the necessary set squares.

As well as to leave a passage between the house and the church and to pave it with IJssel base stone.
Furthermore, to make a fence wall about one yard long, two yards high, fifty inches of best farmer's grey, the thickness of one stone with its required foundation underneath and to cover it with a donkey's back roll layer and to join and daub it, to make in it a gate door of pine wood, three inches thick with three clamps and to hang with spring-thumb hinges and to close at the top and bottom with a heavy bolt and with an inlet lock as appropriate, to work everything as described in article six, in addition to making the benches on the women's church of pine wood, in the manner as will be indicated; for the framework thick eight by eight inches, for the seats thick four inches, as well as the desks against the counter of pine wood, thick two inches, six stripes.

Article 13

To supply all the nails, wood screws, lock plates, copper bushes for the bolts, pins, etc. required for the execution of this work, and where no length or weight of the nails is specified in these specifications, it is assumed and hereby determined to be twice the thickness of the connecting objects.

Article 14

To make and supply all the formalities, moulds, scaffolding, etc. required for the execution of this work, in order to carry out the work regularly.

Article 15 Bluestone work

To place the three interior door frames on hard stone nuts with its dulpers in between, as well as on the four corners, where the trusses begin, as well as above the roof on both sides, and on the four pilasters at the back also to place hard stone coping pieces. In the entrance of the church and the exit from it to the bathroom, to place two hard stone sills, high twenty-five inches.

Article 16

All the hardstones are to be worked according to the drawing and the moulds to be made of them, to be worked perfectly flat with tight joints and to place lead between the stones that come together, to connect the ironwork with suitable dowels and the stones and to cast them with lead, taking care that the dowel holes are five lines wider all around than the thickness of the dowels, and to chisel and sand all the hardstones according to the requirements of the work where this is required.

Article 17 Ironworks

The anchors that come to connect through the church, heavy three to four inches and the shoots must also be made of three to four inches of iron, besides the three hanging irons for the crowns. All other necessary ironwork, however called, must all be of the best kind and sufficient weight.

Article 18 Lead and Zinc Works

All lead and zinc to be supplied, laid and soldered, as the best virtue of the work requires and as the contractor shall be appointed. The lead must weigh thirty Dutch pounds to the square yard, the zinc of number fourteen; the meeting-bowls and discharge pipes to be made of zinc, the pipes six inches wide. The zinc to be nailed with zinc nails, and where it would come into contact with the iron, to cover the iron with organ lead.

Article 19 Painting work

All woodwork, against which masonry or which is placed against bluestone, must be treated once.
First paint the ironwork with red lead and then treat it twice, as well as the bathroom and consistory.
Fill, oil, prime and twice coat all frames, windows, doors, mouldings and exterior woodwork.
To fill, glue, sand the pores full and even, oil, prime and paint twice the woodwork inside the building at the mutual discretion, as well as to apply more ornamental paintwork to the entire standing work of the storage cabinet of the Mosaic Law scrolls, as well as to treat it at the mutual discretion of the contractors. Furthermore, to supply the necessary paint for fitting and joining the woodwork and for applying the frames.

Article 20

Furthermore, as determined in the carpentry, the hammered nail heads, the holes with
to fill and treat with oil putty, then lay the lead and zinc.

Article 21 Glasswork

All windows, after they have been oiled, primed and fitted, must be sealed as required with the best half-white French glass, without bubbles or any defects, and filled with red lead putty, and fitted according to type, pinned and taking care that no cracked glass is used.

Article 22 Plastering work

The dome and moulding should be covered with the best dry reed of the first quality, properly shortened with annealed copper wire and nails, taking care to avoid seams.

To lay and nail the copper wire of a suitable thickness, with nails at a distance of sixty-five stripes, in rows of thirteen inches from each other; to spread over the rough ground, consisting of four parts of lime, two parts of sand, and one part of plaster, with a long trowel; to pick over the ground, when it is quite dry, with the same but sifted mortar, and then to plaster over it with Frisian lime and finely ground plaster, and to work the four sides of the church into a frame, just as has been said of the dome.

Article 23 Repair of the house

All defects found in the two sliding windows in the front facade of the house in Wijk D. Number 121 must be repaired, as well as two new windows for each, all in the same manner as the old ones are found, and the door frame must be repaired as it should be.

As well as the floor in the hallway and the inner room to be repaired as indicated.
To do the necessary things in the side room and to cover it with new common paper after the election.
In the kitchen, the attic should be properly restored to its previous order, as well as the floor and the door frame of the cellar and that of the yard, both to be restored to their previous order, as well as the stone floor and attic in the cellar and two ridges should be made in them, and the cracked tiles should be removed from the entire roof above and covered tightly.
Then the entire courtyard must be paved with the paving stones that have come out, with a gutter along the wall and the stones that are too short must be delivered, in addition to making a gutter of grains under the roof, thick ten by fifteen inches, with a zinc pipe and funnel, and also making a diversion gutter of grain planks, in the manner that will be indicated.

Furthermore, the entire rear facade of the aforementioned house with its secret convenience, windows, doors, to be made in manner of grain wood, everything as the old one is found, as well as to make under the entire roof a grain gutter, thick ten inches, four stripes by fifteen inches, six stripes with its discharge pipe of zinc as it should be.

Also to put the entire watercourse back in order, to demolish all the retaining walls, if they are found to be in bad condition, and to rebuild them with the old, whole stones that have been removed, and the shortcomings will have to be supplied by the contractor, as well as to make the entire sheet piling in its previous order with oak ship's timber, everything of the same thickness as the old one will be found to be and to cover it tightly on top as it should be.

Also in the upper front room the floor must be boarded where this is necessary; then in the middle to make a partition, planed smoothly from dry floating boards with a door to be hung in it and to be closed with a ring and latch; also to make a bedstead there, all planed from pine wood, for the pilasters grinding boards, furthermore everything from floating boards with doors under the setting of pine wood, two inches thick, to be hung as appropriate, as well as to make all the defects there on the two sliding frames, the jambs and the dulper, in addition to repairing the windows as appropriate.

Next, the contractor will have to repair the frame in the attic in the rear facade, as well as make a window in it from grain wood and fill it as necessary, and also incorporate four yard rafters in the attic, and then tack the necessary to satisfaction.

As well as the entire fire wall must be bricked up in mortar, one brick thick up to the needle and be touched up and whitewashed twice, as well as working out all the rickety tiles from the entire roof and filling in all the ridges and seams; filling in all the tiles from the inside with mortar mixed with it as it should be.

Article 24 Quality and inspection of materials

All materials and tools required for this work shall be procured and provided by the contractor at his own expense and shall be of the best of their kind.
No materials, of whatever name, may be processed until they have been approved by the appropriate management.

The rejected ones must be removed from the work immediately and replaced with sufficient ones.
If the contractor acts in bad faith by processing rejected or uninspected materials, he will forfeit a fine of twenty-five guilders for each trip, which will be deducted from his contract price.

Article 25 Forgetting or Obscurities

If any obscurities in these specifications should arise during the processing, the interpretation thereof remains with the contractor or a supervisor appointed for that purpose, according to whose decision the contractor must comply.
The contractor will have to repair the city streets, to the extent that they become damaged by the digging of the foundations or the construction of the scaffolding, to the satisfaction of the Mayor and Aldermen.

Article 26 Commencement and completion of work

The contractor must start work immediately after receiving a commitment to do so and ensure that the building is completed in good order by January 15th. If it is not found to be ready, the contractor will be deducted three guilders from his agreed contract fees for each day he works longer, to the benefit of the contractors.

Article 27 Payment

Payment will be made in four installments.
The first when the foundations are laid with a cubit.
The second one as the place height with the dome will be ready.
The third when the roof and interior are finished, and
The fourth if the work is found to be without major defects on the fifteenth of February, eighteen hundred and forty-two.

Article 28 Expenses

The stamp and registration duties applicable to this tender; the salary of the official responsible for it, the placing of advertisements in the newspapers and the further publication thereof, as well as the room rent, are entirely at the expense of the contractor.

Gorinchem, June 1800, XNUMX, forty-one
The Church Council of the Israelite Community mentioned above
(wg)

E. van der Sluis
I. Hijmans
N. van Straten

This is attached to the minute report of the tender before the undersigned notary and witnesses in Gorinchem passed on 14 June 1841, Number 126.
(wg)

Mr. Valke
C. Meuleman
CG Boonzajer
I. Hijmans
N. van Straten
E. van der Sluis
J. van Dooremaalen