A possible explanation for the high number of infections is the important social function of Beth Shalom. The care center is normally a meeting place for the Jewish community, said Bart Wallet, historian and specialist in the history of the Jews in the Netherlands. “People go to Beth Shalom for coffee mornings, and for all kinds of courses and training. The synagogue of the home is frequented by local residents. It is relatively busy because of that, people walk in and out all the time.’’

Fifteen residents of a Jewish care center in Amsterdam died from coronavirus, the Dutch media reported.

Another 22 residents of the Beth Shalom care center are likely infected with the virus. The health of three or four of them seems to recover very cautiously. In total, the care center has 120 nursing home places and sixty sheltered homes.

Wolter Knijff, spokesperson for Cordaan, the care organization that Beth Shalom is part of, does not explain the source of the infections in the care center.

“The first person with corona symptoms was discovered in late March. Calculating back, the first contamination occurred in mid-March, when the doors were still open.

Beth Shalom has a close community: the home celebrates Jewish holidays and traditions together.

A possible explanation for the high number of infections is the important social function of Beth Shalom. The care center is normally a meeting place for the Jewish community, said Bart Wallet, historian and specialist in the history of the Jews in the Netherlands. “People go to Beth Shalom for coffee mornings, and for all kinds of courses and training. The synagogue of the home is frequented by local residents. It is relatively busy because of that, people walk in and out all the time.’’

” The residents of Beth Shalom come from all over the Netherlands, says Wallet. “Everyone has grandpas and grandmas there. The residents come from across the branches of Judaism: there are very Orthodox people, but also people who have not done anything with Judaism all their lives, but who rediscover their roots in the last phase of their lives. It is really a focal point for the Jewish world in the Netherlands. ”

Around 15,000 Jews live in Amsterdam.