New King of Holland Visits Amsterdam Jewish Center

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By JTA July 9, 2013

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited the offices of the Jewish Community of Amsterdam for the first time since his coronation in April.

The visit by Willem-Alexander to the representative organ of the city’s Jewish community, known by the Dutch acronym NIHS, came less than three months after his coronation, in which he replaced his mother Queen Beatrix.

Dutch media reported in April that some Jews were upset because Beatrix’s official farewell party is scheduled to take place in Rotterdam on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Beatrix last visited the NIHS offices in 2010.

Willem-Alexander, 46, toured the NIHS offices with his Argentine-born wife, Queen Maxima, while wearing a blue yarmulke laced with silver threads. The royal couple also entered the nearby synagogue on Jacob Obrecht Square. They met with Jewish teachers, representatives and rabbis, according to the AD daily.

In October, Willem-Alexander officiated at the dedication of the new Jewish cultural quarter in Amsterdam – an area containing several Jewish institutions including the country’s main Jewish museum and the Portuguese Synagogue and its library.

Upon leaving the offices of the NIHS on Monday, Willem-Alexander said he would return, adding: “See you next time” as he entered a car in the royal motorcade.

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