Jews in Amsterdam

After finishing his studies in the History of Art and Archaeology at the University of Amsterdam in 2002, Sabry pursued a career in the antiquarian book trade, going on to run a fine art bookstore in Amsterdam, whilst also writing, lecturing and teaching about art. Later he dedicated more time to his work as a writer and art historian. Coming from a Jewish background, Sabry was also always interested in the Jewish history of Amsterdam and has thoroughly studied the life and work of Jewish artists living and working in the Netherlands in this century. He is currently writing a book about German Jewish emigree artists in Amsterdam in the interwar years. The work will come out in fall 2016, published by the renowned Jewish publishing house Querido. Sabry also has extensive guiding experience, specialising on the culture of the Low Countries. He expertise has a vast thematic scope that incorporates the art, architecture, literature and cuisine that helped shape the Netherlands as they are today.

Alette Fleischer has MA in Art History (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) and holds a PhD in the History of Science and Technology (University of Twente, Enschede). For both her thesis and her dissertation, she researched the intricate relationship between nature, art and science in the 20th century (thesis) and the 17th century (dissertation). Sculpture parks, ornamental gardens and botanical gardens form the sites of study. As an independent scholar, she presents papers and writes articles on this subject. Alette also teaches art history and lectures on topics such as 17th century Dutch art and architecture, 18th century Empire design, garden architecture and landscape engineering. She has curated several exhibitions and stood at the basis of the exhibition Black is Beautiful on the image of blacks in Dutch art history. She lives in the city where she was born: Amsterdam.

After completion of his university studies in International Economics and Business Administration, Henk joined the UN and subsequently the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation. Henk is an experienced traveler and has traveled for work as well as pleasure to over 70 countries. This had led him to appreciate even more the uniqueness and beauty of the Netherlands and, in particular, his hometown, Amsterdam. Fascinated how this small country became the wealthiest in the world in the 17th Century, and how the citizens of Amsterdam contributed to this, Henk is a wealth of information about the socio-economic and cultural aspects of this amazing period. His Jewish ancestors played an important role in the financial, industrial and cultural development in Amsterdam and the Netherlands, for example, by stimulating the construction of the Royal Concert Hall (Concertgebouw) in Amsterdam. As a lover of the arts, Henk is an especially great admirer of the paintings of Vincent van Gogh. In recent years, he has been studying in detail the life and activities of Van Gogh in the Netherlands and in France, including a study tour in 2017 to all the cities in France where Van Gogh was active as a painter. He takes advantage of continuing education opportunities through the Van Gogh Museum to expand his knowledge of this seminal artist and his work. Henk is married to a former classical ballet dancer and actress. He loves meeting other people, music, animals, photography, and rollerblading around the Vondelpark.