JEWISH GRONINGEN
AGENDA
> Activities > Calendar
Stories about Judaism and Jews in Groningen
Did you know that Jews have been living in Groningen for more than four centuries? The exhibition introduces you to the history of the Jewish community in Groningen up to the present day. About entrepreneurs and teachers, about poor relief and superstars. You will also learn about the Jewish religion and the meaning of the holidays. And all that in the colorful shul of Groningen!
Imagining, not depicting -
Fred Pollack
exhibition - 8 December 2024 to 4 May 2025
​
‘Creativity born out of lack’; this is how Fred Pollack (1943-2022) names his work in an interview. Art with a tarnished past. Both his parents are murdered in the Shoah, Fred grows up with foster parents. He gets the chance to study and becomes a doctor. Later, he settles in Garnwerd, Groningen. There he developed into a versatile artist, for whom painting is intuitive. Or as he himself writes on a note: ‘A painting does not tell a story about reality; but represents a reality itself’.
Two exhibitions - in Synagoge Groningen and at Kunsthandel Ongering - provide an impressive insight into this artist's work.
Apr 6 | 15.00 | Concert | Gemengd Dames Koor Groningen
This year again, the GDK will give a concert under the direction of Aletta Kwant in collaboration with other artists. For example, pianist Margreet Puite will play a number of solo pieces and the musical duo 'A Couple of Strings' will be heard.
Tickets can be ordered via GDK (incl. drink)
.png)
Apr 13 | 2:00 PM | Children's workshop | Painting a festive bowl during Passover
Because of Pesach, Synagogue Groningen organizes a workshop for children from 6 to 13 years old. During this workshop we will be inspired by the holiday and decorate our own seder plate. On Seder night, at the beginning of Pesach, a special, festive meal is served with various symbolic dishes on a plate. During the workshop, children will learn about Pesach while making their own seder plate/festive plate!
The workshop costs €5,- per child and lasts about 75 minutes. There is room for eight children. Reservations are required.
Apr 20 | 3:00 PM | Storytelling Concert | What Remains is the Music…
the tragic story of Menachem Asscher
A story full of hope with music that has long remained hidden. Pianist Imri Talgam plays previously unheard work by Menachem Asscher, a pianist and composer from Groningen who was sent to Germany at the age of 22 and never returned. Lilian Kars uses fragments from, among others, Danseres zonder benen by Menachem's mother Clara Asscher-Pinkhof to tell the story of Menachem, which is further brought to life with music by Beethoven and Bach, among others. A 'storytelling concert' that leaves no one unmoved.
Tickets: €15,- | Donateurs & t/m 18 jaar: €10,-
Reserveren ovv 'Vertelconcert 20-04' - reserveren@synagogegroningen.nl
Apr 24 | 8:00 PM | Book presentation | The 19 trains to Sobibor
Elie Aron Cohen (1909-1993), born in Folkingestraat, published an extensive study in 1979 on the persecution of the Jews and specifically the Sobibór extermination camp. Now, more than forty years later, the book is being republished, updated and annotated by Elie's son: Dan Cohen. The presentation will be given by Dr. Stefan van der Poel, Elie Cohen's biographer.
More information will follow!
May 2 | 3:30 PM | symposium | War is not over
In this time when the threat of war is so close, the Werkgroep Toegankelijk Groningen (WTG) and the Synagoge Groningen are organizing a meeting to listen to the stories of people who are even more directly affected by all that tension. For once, it is not about major dramas, perpetrators and victims. We also keep opinions and points of view at a distance. It is precisely people who live close to the fire who know how complex reality is.
More information will follow!
May 4 | 10:30-17:00 | Open Jewish Houses / Houses of Resistance
Commemorative programme
During this annual programme of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, life stories of Jewish citizens and resistance fighters are shared at the locations related to these personal stories.
The programme will be announced in early April.
May 8 | 20.00 | Concert 4MeiProjekt | Suitcase full of Secrets
What do you tell your children when you have experienced a war? In 1945, most people preferred to keep that suitcase full of secrets closed. That is still the case today. Refugees come to the Netherlands with their own suitcases. They also prefer to keep them closed. But knowing what war is helps to celebrate peace.
In the new musical performance of the 4 May Project and STEK (the young offshoot of the 4 May Project), the suitcase opens with stories and songs about hope and silence, looking away, about heroes and perpetrators. Poet and choir member Sylvia Dragtstra wrote the poem 'Hese stenen' especially for this performance. The young Groningen composer Karel Stegeman set it to music. The stories in the performance are based on personal and family histories of choir members, musicians and players.
May 11 | 3:30 PM | Performance | In search of Josef Cohen
Josef Cohen (1886-1965) was a colourful figure in twentieth-century Groningen as director of the library in Groningen, as a writer and as a man. A performance with Albert Secuur based on an idea by city historian Beno Hofman, who died in 2023, with lots of fantastic live music by the Bolotny Trio.
Oct 19 | 3:00 PM | concert | Zing Shtil 20 years later
An intimate ode to Yiddish music
Celebrated singer Lucette van den Berg takes you on a personal journey through the rich tradition of Yiddish songs and poetry. With her warm voice and subtle interpretations, Lucette weaves traditional melodies with
contemporary compositions, while guitarist Erik Raayman accompanies her with refined sounds. This concert is a celebration of past and future, where emotion and beauty come together in a timeless musical experience. Let yourself be touched by the power of silence and sound.
Ticket information will follow!
