ABSTRACT
The Nieuw Israëlietisch Weekblad, known as the NIW for short, describes itself these days as the oldest weekly news magazine in the Netherlands. There was nothing at the start to indicate its potential longevity. It was simply one of many Jewish magazines fighting for the attention of Dutch Jews in the nineteenth century. The NIW quickly grew to become the leading mouthpiece of Orthodox Jews in Amsterdam. Other periodicals were based elsewhere, like the Weekblad voor Israëlietische Huisgezinnen in Rotterdam, or had a more Reform profile, like Het Weekblad voor Israelieten. Under the editorial team of Meijer Marcus Roest, Jacob Mendes Chumaceiro, Philip Elte and Levie David Staal, its course until the Second World War was stable and it was Orthodox, supportive of the House of Orange, and critical of both Reform Judaism and Zionism.
