Dutch-Israelite synagogue, Keizerstraat 82
Dutch-Israelite synagogue "Ne Ve Shalom"
The Dutch-Israelite synagogue “Ne Ve Shalom” is one of the architecturally most important and most monumental buildings in Suriname.
Construction of the present synagogue was started in 1833 on the plot where as early as 1719 a synagogue was build for both the High German and Portuguese jews. The building was finished in 1842. It is an apex of the typical Surinamese Building style.
The building is constructed of wood on a brick basement. It has got a steep tile pavillion roof and it's length
axis and ridge are projected parallel to the street. The rigid, austere symmetry, enhanced by the porch with
4 Ionic pillars carrying a pediment on a sturdy cornice, contributes to the building’s stately character.
The front door is a double panel door, in front of which another set of swing doors.
In the centre of the back wall there is another double entrance door with a set of four semicircular flights leading towards it. The building has
a floor plan of approximately 25 x 16 meters. The long façades have 7 bays, the short ones 5. The façade on the left has a stoop with three
steps over the full width of the building. In it are three doors; the two to the sides give access to the women’s gallery, which is supported by
12 pillars. This side houses the teba.
The façade on the right has only two groups of 2 windows. The hechal is placed against the blind part. The pulpit is situated in front of the hechal.
A unique feature of some synagogues in the Caribbean is that the floor is covered with a thick layer of sand.
Mr. Jules Donk of the Surinamese-jewish community tells about this tradition in the video underneath.
On the right hand side of the premises there are some rows of graves. To the left, against the street, there is an office. In back of that there is the house for ritual baths.
