Lekstraatsynagoge

Lekstraatsynagoge stands in Amsterdam’s Rivierenbuurt, a southern neighbourhood developed through the Plan-Zuid expansion. Built in 1937, this synagogue served a growing Jewish community that included refugees arriving from Germany after 1933.

Architect Abraham Elzas shaped the building in Nieuwe Zakelijkheid, a functionalist style influenced by Le Corbusier. Its strict rectangular forms contrast with the decorative Amsterdam School buildings around it, while the irregular U-shaped plan joins two volumes through a connecting section. Natural stone panels, square steel windows, iron garden fences and double oak doors define the exterior. During the Second World War, the building helped local Jews obtain yellow stars before becoming a furniture storehouse for deported families from 1943. After 1985, Edo Spier redesigned the interior, and restoration began in 2005 after the Rivierenbuurt district became its owner in 1998.

The former main prayer hall preserves a women’s gallery on three sides, marble wall coverings, the ark niche and several copper chandeliers designed by Elzas. Hebrew lettering on the façade quotes the Book of Kings: “And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”