ABSTRACT
Dutch Jewry had always upheld a strong tradition of care. Jewish congregations had committees for aid to the poor, which often supported large numbers of people. Help ranged from matzos at Pesach and coal in winter to longterm support for poor families. The bigger Jewish congregations had their own orphanages, homes for elderly men and elderly women, and hospitals, where a committee set up for the purpose would pay for the poor to be cared for and nursed. Amsterdam had a Dutch Israelite Hospital and a Portuguese Israelite Hospital, both of which were intended to treat the poor.
