1935 Sound Film Amsterdam’s Great Synagogue Choir • 20241025

Geluidsopname ter Groote Synagoge • NIW 15 Nov 1935 • Miracles•Media • 20241025

Friday, 15 Nov 1935 • NIW (1)

“Sound recording at the Great Synagogue

The jubilee of the N.I.H.S., which has attracted interest in our community in many circles, has also attracted the attention of Polygoon, the well-known sound journalists. They wanted to record something specific of this jubilee and in honor of the jubilee on the sound film and insert it as part of the cinema newsreels this week.
Chief cantor I. E. Maroko and the synagogue choir, led by his well-known conductor S. H. Englander, were prepared to perform a synagogue song. And so the recording took place last Wednesday evening in the Great Synagogue. When we came to take a look at the Synagogue, which was already decorated for the occasion, at 8 o’clock, all preparations had been made. A number of lamps, together 25,000 candles strong, provided sufficient lighting. The choir sang Psalm 118, while Mr. Maroko sang the solos. The recording, which was made under the direction of the popular Polygoon man Jo Levi, and in which Max Tak was present, will certainly attract the interest of the cinema-loving public and for those who do not regularly go to the cinemas, we can certainly recommend a visit this time.”

This NIW 1935 news (1) describes the ‘sound film’ was made Wednesday 13 Nov 1935 under the direction of Polygoon man Jo Levi. Below the ‘sound film’ and first part of my description, as posted Aug 20, 2019 (2).

November 1935, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the NIHS Jewish Community of Amsterdam (orthodox Ashkenazi congregation started 1635) the dutch film factory Polygoon brought this unique cinema sound newsreel of the Amsterdam Choir of the Great Synagogue led by choirmaster Samuel Henri (Sam) Englander, with a solo perfomance by chazzan (cantor) Izrael Eljasz Maroko in the Great Synagogue (inauguration building 1671) – now home to the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam, Holland (2).

Notes

1. Today I found this article on the Polygoon ‘sound recording’ (2) in the dutch weekly ‘Nieuw Israelietisch weekblad’ (Transl: New Israelite Weekly) of Friday, November 15, 1935. URL Delpher.nl (retrieved 20241025) .

Dutch transcript

Geluidsopname ter Groote Synagoge

Het jubileum der N.I.H.S., dat de belangstelling in vele kringen op onze gemeente heeft gevestigd, heeft ook de aandacht getrokken van Polygoon, de bekende geluidsjournalisten. Men wilde n.l. iets specifieks van dit jubileum en ter eere van het jubileum op de geluidsfilm vastleggen en dit deze week als onderdeel in de bioscoopjournaals inlasschen.
Oppervoorzanger I. E. Maroko en het sjoelkoor, onder leiding van zijn bekenden dirigent S. H. Englander, werden bereid gevonden om een synagogaal gezang ten gehoore te brengen. En zoo vond Woensdagavond j.I. de opname plaats in de Groote Synagoge. Toen wij om 8 uur een kijkje kwamen nemen in de reeds in feesttooi gestoken Synagoge, waren alle toebereidselen getroffen. Een aantal lampen, tezamen 25.000 kaarsen sterk, zorgde voor voldoende belichting.
Het koor zong Psalm 118, terwijl de heer Maroko de soli zong. De opname, welke onder leiding van den populairen Polygoonman Jo Levi geschiedde, werd vervaardigd en waarbij o.a. Max Tak tegenwoordig was, zal zeer zeker de belangstelling van het bioscoopminnend publiek trekken en zij, die niet geregeld in de cinema’s komen, kunnen wij ditmaal zeker een gang daarheen aanbevelen.

2. Amsterdam’s Choir of the Great Synagogue 1935 • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • 20190830 • URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2019/08/30/amsterdams-choir-of-the-great-synagogue-1935/

Citation info : 1935 Sound Film Amsterdam’s Great Synagogue Choir • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • 20241025

Old New Synagogue

Old New Synagogue | 20160217 | 1-memo•com | Staronová synagoga (Alt Neu Shul) Europe’s oldest still active synagogue , once called New Synagogue , in the jewish quarter (Josefov) in Prague , Czech Republic , Friday afternoon March 30, 2012

The Vimeo original 1st edition (155724845) republished upscaled on Youtube and Instagram.

TAGS #religion #ghetto #Josefov #Prague #jew #jewish #culture #synagogue #OldNewSynagogue #Shul #Czech #Staronovásynagoga #1Memo #michelvanderburg #vimeooriginal

Image The Other

Image The Other ~
Expo ‘The Image of the Other’ filmed March 18, 2014 in the Brussels Bequinage church.

Imaging the Other , Imagining Danger. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous? Does the comparison with contemporary cartoons hold up?

Quote :
“The Image of the Other wants to dwell on the image of the ‘Other’ : ‘the Black’, ‘the Jew’ , ‘the Turk’ , ‘the Heretic’. Examples from the Flemish and Dutch religious art from around 1450 – 1750 reflects this perception.

In art , the ‘Other’ is often stereotyped. Works of medieval or renaissance now give us the impression of being racist or discriminatory. But what about our newspapers and advertisements” Are they doing so much better?

The way in which the ‘Other’ is imagined should better not be underestimated as this could lead to serious consequences. For example, certain stereotypical views remain for decades and these biases can be part of our overall imaging. This process can even develop into structural racism. In that sense, there is a certain danger in the images of the other from the past. So we are quite critical of the thousands of images that we see every day.” — Quote from the installation ‘DE ANDERE VERBEELD / VERBEELD GEVAAR’ (The Image of the Other / Imaginary Danger) by ORBIT.

With this exhibition ORBIT wants to critically analyze our view of “the other”, past and present. ORBIT not only wants to dwell on the portrayal of ‘the other’ in Christian art, but also wants to dwell on today’s portrayal in the media. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous?

Thanks to Karen Wyckmans , Heritage Project Coordinator | Project “De Andere Verbeeld” (The Image of the Other) | ORBIT – http://www.orbitvzw.be . More info at site https://deandereverbeeld.wordpress.com .
Thanks also to priest Daniel Alliët – host of both the expo and the concurrent Afghan Refugee Camp (March 2014) in the Brussels Beguinage Church (Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage – Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste au Grand Béguinage ) – now House of Compassion – http://www.houseofcompassion.brussels .
In the background sound of the Afghan Refugee Camp and the Béguinage church pipe organ played during music lessons by Félix Snyers and student.
From the Beguinage Project by Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland).
Film : Image The Other | 20200801 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media

Amsterdam’s Choir of the Great Synagogue 1935

As the Amsterdamsche Joodsche Koor (Amsterdam Jewish Choir), the choir also performed in non-religious venues, including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw (Ref 2). The choir’s repertoire was expanded to include what were referred to as Eastern European Jewish folksongs and modern Palestinian-Jewish songs (i.e., contemporary Hebrew songs).
The Choir of the Great Synagogue and Amsterdam Jewish Choir was composed of the following singers (those marked with an asterisk sang during synagogue services):

Giacomo Aletrino (tenor)
Marcus Bonn (bass)
Joop Delcanho* (tenor)
David Duque (bass)
Michel Gobets (tenor)
Nathan Gobets Sr.* (tenor)
Barend Levie Muller* (bass)
Meijer Nebig* (baritone)
Lou Nieweg* (tenor)
David Peeper* (baritone)
Louis Polak (bass)
Jo Rabbie* (baritone)
Sal Stodel (baritone)
Bernard de Wit (bass)
Louis de Wit* (bass)
Of all of them, only Lou Nieweg is known to have survived the Second World War.

NL (dutch)

November 1935, ter gelegenheid van het 300-jarig bestaan van de NIHS Joodse Gemeenschap van Amsterdam (de Asjkenazische gemeente Amsterdam of ‘Nederlands Israëlitische Hoofd Synagoge’) kwam het Polygoon bioscoopjournaal met deze unieke geluidsfilm van het Amsterdams Koor der Grote Synagoge onder leiding van koordirigent Samuel Henri (Sam) Englander, met een solo van oppervoorzanger Izrael Eljasz Maroko in de Grote Synagoge in Amsterdam (inwijding gebouw 1671) – nu het Joods Historisch Museum (Ref 1).

Het koor trad ook op als het Amsterdamsche Joodsche Koor op niet-religieuze locaties, waaronder het Amsterdamse Concertgebouw (Ref 2). Het uitgebreide repertoire van het koor omvatte ook zogenaamde Oost-Europese Joodse volksliederen en moderne Palestijnse-Joodse liederen (d.w.z. hedendaagse Hebreeuwse liederen).
Het Koor der Grote Synagoge en het Amsterdam Joods Koor bestond uit de volgende zangers (die met een asterisk gemarkeerd, zongen tijdens synagoge-diensten):

Giacomo Aletrino (tenor)
Marcus Bonn (bas)
Joop Delcanho * (tenor)
David Duque (bas)
Michel Gobets (tenor)
Nathan Gobets Sr. * (tenor)
Barend Levie Muller * (bas)
Meijer Nebig * (bariton)
Lou Nieweg * (tenor)
David Peeper * (bariton)
Louis Polak (bas)
Jo Rabbie * (bariton)
Sal Stodel (bariton)
Bernard de Wit (bas)
Louis de Wit * (bas)
Alleen van Lou Nieweg is bekend dat hij de Tweede Wereldoorlog heeft overleefd.

Notes

1. De Eerste Zichtbare Synagoge Van West-Europa. Amsterdam (Netherlands) : Joods Historisch Museum | jck.nl ; (accessed 2019 Aug 30). Link URL: https://jck.nl/nl/longread/de-grote-synagoge

2. Anton Kras. The Choir of the Great Synagogue, Amsterdam, Holland. Tel Aviv (Israel) : Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot | http://www.bh.org.il ; (accessed 2019 Aug 30). Link URL: https://www.bh.org.il/choir-great-synagogue-amsterdam/

Source: Polygoon-Profilti courtesy of Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Public Domain – Open Images).

Citation info : Amsterdam’s Choir of the Great Synagogue 1935 • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • 20190830 • URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2019/08/30/amsterdams-choir-of-the-great-synagogue-1935/ • CC BY 4.0 .

Sjabbos

Film link : http://www.oorloginblik.nl/film/niod/2759421

Sjabbos | Friday Night (1932) avant garde film documentary made by dutch filmmaker Jan Teunissen (G.J. Teunissen) on the Amsterdam Jewish Quarter when sabbath starts.
It’s the first film presented by the dutch jewish film producer Loet C. Barnstijn – and as and artistic documentary , different from his later films. Sound by Polygoon Haarlem and Tobis-Klangfilm, Studios Éclair Paris-Èpinay-sur-Seine.

Pre-war Amsterdam’s Jewish quarter at the start of the shabbat: street life with shops and market, the Zuidertoren tower strikes 4 o’clock and the sabbath starts. The shops are closing, businesses are being shut down, employees are rushing home.
While the women at home put the finishing touches to the meal, carefully set the table and light the candles, the men hurry to the synagogue. Chazan Blanes enters the Snoge (Portuguese Synagogue) through the side gate, cantor Maroko greets the shabbat in the Grote Synagoge (Great Synagogue).

Jan Teunissen joined the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands in 1940, benefactor member of the dutch SS in 1941 and head of the Filmgilde – the film section of the dutch ‘Kultuurkamer’ – the NS propaganda organisation in Holland during WW2.
Fragments of this film where used in 1941 in the dutch version of the Nazi antisemitic propaganda film “The eternal Jew”.
After the war Jan Teunissen was detained 3 years and subsequently prohibited from working in the Dutch film industry for ten years.

References
http://www.oorloginblik.nl/film/niod/2759421
https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/collection/film-history/person/jan-teunissen https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Teunissen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTMN_QOrdKQ

Forgotten Westerbork Film Reel…F1015

Recently, I posted the ‘Westerbork Film – full version (RVD)’, with the details of what has been known as the Westerbork Film (Ref. 1).

When, in 1986, the raw film footage of the Westerbork Film moved from the archives of the Filmmuseum in Holland to the archive of the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD – ie the Dutch National Centre for Information), the RVD conservator mounted the film reels together into 4 parts : Akte 1 , Akte 2 , Akte 3 , and Akte 4 (Acts 1 to 4) of the Westerbork Film.

More recently -in the 1990s – during the inventory and further research of the film (Ref 1) it was concluded by Gerard Rossing and Koert Boersma, that altogether 9 film reels had ended up in the Westerbork Film.
Reels number 1 and 2 were glued together in ‘Act 1 (Akte 1)’, reels 3 and 4 in Act 2, reels 5 and 6 in Acte 3, and reels 7, 8 and 9 in Acte 4 (Ref. 1, 2, 3).

That research also (re)discovered two new film reels – that had been forgotten in the archives of the Filmmuseum.

One reel – originally the 10th reel of the Westerbork film – and numbered in the 1950s as reel 9a was considered in poor condition and had been classified (cat. # F1015) and forgotten in the Filmmuseum archives (Ref. 4, 5).

Below that footage the: Forgotten Westerbork Film Reel…F1015

These 13 minutes film footage contain the following scenes :

– 1. Young woman in overalls attaches sign to camp sign (Verwaltung, Hauptmagazin, Industrie, Kleiderkammer), 10 sec. – 2. Religious Service in the Great Hall, March 5, 1944: 2 min 42 sec. – 3. Shoe repair, alternative shot: 37 sec.
– 4. Aircraft disassembly and short scenes in other factories.

References

1. Westerbork Film | Full version RVD 1986 | 20190605 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com ; (accessed 2019 Jun 15). Short-link https://wp.me/p91enH-1x

2. ‘Kamp Westerbork gefilmd’ by Koert Broersma and Gerard Rossing (editors Dirk Mulder and Ben Prinsen); ISBN 9023232658

3. Gerard Rossing and Koert Boersma, Kamp Westerbork Gefilmd (1997), pp. 86-88.

4. Gerard Rossing and Koert Boersma, Kamp Westerbork Gefilmd (1997), pp. 89-90.

5. Unesco.org – Memory of the World – Westerbork films (accessed 20190605)

Credit

EN – Forgotten Westerbork Film Reel…F1015. Scaled, otherwise unedited footage F1015.
Source Beeld en Geluid (2-1167 | former cat.nr. F1015) , accessed at US Holocaust Memorial Museum (copy Film | Accession Number: 1999.323.1 | RG Number: RG-60.2106 | Film ID: 2242 – license Public Domain) , courtesy of Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid. Footage filmed by Rudolf Breslauer in 1944.
Forgotten Westerbork Film Reel…F1015 | 20190615 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com – CC BY 4.0 .

UPDATES

20200130 – added more details source file

20220604 – Format changes credit line , references

Flemish Master In Situ

Mythical concert The Good Udsjuen (De Goede Udsjuen) and exhibition UDSJUEN – by Koenraad Tinel & Kuniko Kato on the magical night of May 31, 2019 in the Saint James Church (one last glance) in Ghent, Belgium. ① memo 20190613 ~ Flemish Master In Situ ~ Miracles.Media