During the National Remembrance Day we commemorate the victims of the Second World War. A few years after the design of the Hollandsche Schouwburg on the Plantage Middenlaan as a monument in 1962, local residents in the Plantage-Weesperbuurt chose to organize the annual National Remembrance Day on May 4 at this location as well.
This commemoration is therefore mainly for and by residents of the area. Normally, students of the current IVKO school (until 2011 located at Plantage Middenlaan 27, in the former nursery school from which many Jewish children escaped from the crèche) recite poems and a guest speaker commemorates the victims of the Nazi terror. Some Jewish elements are also included in this commemoration, such as the Yizkor (Jewish memorial prayer) and the Kaddish.
Due to the measures concerning the corona virus, the commemoration cannot take place on location in the Jewish Cultural Quarter this year. The commemoration in the Hollandsche Schouwburg is therefore marked in a different way. To still give the opportunity to commemorate in a personal and individual way, it is possible to visit the Hollandsche Schouwburg on May 4 between 12:00 and 17:00. Reservation is not necessary.
Online activities
In addition, there is a special webpage for the commemoration on the JCK website, in addition to the National Commemoration on Dam Square, that will be broadcast live by the NOS. On May 4 you will find the Kaddish and the Yizkor, the Jewish prayers, on the JCK webpage.
On 3 and 4 May there will be various live streams from seven municipalities where the memorial program Open Jewish Homes can be followed virtually. One of these live streams takes place in the Hollandsche Schouwburg. See the website of Open Jewish Homes for this.
More information on the website of the JCK.