GORINCHEM – Under a concrete floor and between the piles, Gorinchem preserves a special remnant of the Jewish community, which flourished in the city especially during the previous century: a mikveh, a ritual bath in which women purified themselves monthly. “Such a bathing place is best preserved underground,” says Martin Veen of the Archeological Working Group Gorinchem.
The mikveh is reburied
There is nothing left to see of the mikveh. The small pool, less than two by one and a half meters in size, lies buried under clay and rough rock. Construction workers are stomping over the site to prepare the foundation for a shopping center.
Last week archaeologists from Gorinchem stumbled upon the mikveh. This was not entirely unexpected: they knew that the location on the Nursery Street in the past a synagogue had stood there. The specifications showed that an entrance had been made at the consistory to descend to the bathing place. But where exactly it was located was unknown.
After the discovery, immediate consultations were held between the archaeological working group, the municipal government, a representation of the small Jewish community in Gorinchem and the project developer, ING Vastgoed. "We decided to leave the mikveh in the ground, not in the same place, but a few meters away, because otherwise the foundation would run right through it," says Veen.
A better location is unthinkable, the archaeologist believes. 'We considered placing the mikveh under a glass plate, so that it would be visible to shoppers. But we decided against that. It is expensive and it does not fit in with the intimate character of the bath.”
In Jewish tradition, women take a cleansing bath after their menstruation. A bride also immerses herself shortly before the wedding day. The water is changed after each use. In the synagogue of Gorinchem, the water was collected with a crank pump. Incidentally, the pump was also found by the working group.
The Jewish community in Gorinchem flourished especially in the nineteenth century. A shul (synagogue) was built in 130 for the 1841 members. A school was built next door and the colde (community) also did a lot of poor relief. After the turn of the century, the number of visitors decreased. The 95 seats, 35 of which were in the women's gallery, were far from filled during services. During the Second World War, the community was minimized.
The synagogue was demolished in 1958. Hardly anything of the interior has been preserved. Veen: “To keep the memory of the Jewish community alive, we want to put a plaque in the facade of one of the shops.”
Incidentally, it is not impossible that a mikveh will turn up in Gorinchem. In 1902, the Jewish community decided to build a house next to the synagogue. Three families lived there. A new mikveh was also installed in that house. "The building is still there," says Veen. "I don't know what happened to the mikveh. The bath may be under a wooden floor."
Reformed Daily Newspaper
March 17, 2000