When the Jews of Great Britain celebrate next year the tercentenary of the return of the Jews to England in 1956 during the rule of Oliver Cromwell, after an exile of more than 350 years, pilgrimages to the grave of Rabbi Manassah Ben Israel may be a feature of the celebrations.
Ben Israel, who negotiated the re-entry of the Jews with Cromwell’s emissaries and led their return, is buried in the Sephardic cemetery at Ouderkerk, on the Amstel River, not far from Amsterdam.
Ben Israel, the son of Marranos, established the first Hebrew printing press in Holland. He was a friend and neighbor of the great Dutch painter, Rembrandt, who did a portrait of him and illustrated a book he wrote.
The Rembrandt illustrations of this book were the subject of a lecture this week by Prof. Hans Waal of Leyden State University.
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