Students from 30 countries around Europe took part in a weekend of Purim activities in Amsterdam.
The annual European Centre for Jewish Students (ECJS) Purim on the Rocks event featured a visit to the city’s famous Dam Square and a boat ride along the canals.
Rabbi Menachem Sebbag, chaplain for the Netherlands army, gave Shabbat lectures on the history of Dutch Jewry, alongside Rabbi Zeew van Dijk.
A lively Megillah reading and fancy dress party took place in the Hotel Arena, sponsored by B’nai B’rith and Maccabi. It is believed to have been the largest Purim party in post-war Amsterdam, with more than 700 people attending.
The following day participants joined a Jewish heritage tour of the capital, visiting Holocaust memorials and the city’s Portuguese Synagogue.
The weekend concluded with a cheese-making and wooden shoe-making demonstration.
Based in Brussels, Belgium, ECJS is a non-profit organisation which works to bring Jewish students and young professionals together across Europe.
