Foundation for the Cultural Inheritance of the Portuguese-Israelite Congregatio

The Cultural Inheritance of the Portuguese-Israelite Congregation (hereafter CEPIG from its Dutch acronym) in recent years took over ownership of the cultural inheritance of Amsterdam's Portuguese-Israelite Congregation (hereafter PIG from its Dutch acronym) as well as that of the Ets Haim library, and so achieved a separation between religion and the maintenance of that inheritance. In practice, the separation that has thereby been brought about between the use and administration of this inheritance for worship on the one hand, and the opening of this heritage to the public on the other, has worked out well. Installations which hereby fall under the responsibility of CEPIG management include, besides the Beth Haim cemetery in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, the synagogue (Esnoga) with all its opulent religious decorations and the special Ets Haim library.

This CEPIG ensemble is no “ordinary” museum, although it does offer unique exhibition possibilities.

A special dimension is added to the display nature of this Portuguese-Jewish ensemble by the fact that it includes an historical cemetery still in use, a “living” building (the Esnoga) and a unique library listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, as well as a special and highly valuable collection of ceremonial objects. The opening up of this unique inheritance to the public has been further optimized by a major restoration which was completed at the end of 2012.