Note of Royalty Who Visited the Sephardic Synagogue of Amsterdam between 1642 and 1781

David Franco Mendes

1792

the voice of prayer and the voice of song given in
the house of the lord elohei yisrael
the holy congregations of the sepharadim
may the lord comfort us
in this great city of amsterdam
from the day they settled in it in the year 1597
until this day [1792]
a memorial for the children of israel
written by david franco mendes
may his maker watch over him and grant
him [long] life

In Memory of the Kings, Princes & Noblemen Who Came to Our Synagogues on 22 May 1642
His Excellency, Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange & Nassau, Stadtholder of the United Provinces, with the Most Illustrious William, his son, accompanied by the Royal Infanta, Maria, & the most serene Queen Henrietta Maria, Consort of the most august Charles the first, King of Great Britain.

In the year 1668,
His Highness Cosimo the Third, Prince of Toscana, later Grand Duke.

His Majesty William III, King of Great Britain, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder and Captain General of Sea & land of these Provinces

In the year 1731,
His Serene Highness Francisco the First, Grand Duke of Lorena, who, in 1729, was elected Duke of Toscana & in 1765, Emperor.

In the year 1768,
His Serene Highness William the 5th, Stadtholder, Captain General & Admiral of the United Provinces & Her Royal Highness, Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina, Princess of Prussia, His Consort.

On July 1st.
His Majesty, Christian the 7th, King of Denmark & Norway. Incognito, under the name of the Prince of Travendal.

On September 3.
His Royal Highness, Henry, Prince of Prussia.

On 21 August 1772.
His Royal Highness, Czartorinsky, Prince of Poland, Lieutenant General of the Kingdom, accompanied by the Princess, his Consort and Daughters.

On 12 July 1781
His Imperial Majesty Joseph the Second, Emperor of Germany and King of Bohemia & Hungary & of the Romans.

NB. incognito, using the name of the Count of Falkenstein

 

Translated by

Marvin 
Meital

.

 

Page with Hebrew title surrounded by wreath and two cherubs, above middle section with two columns with small pictures and Hebrew text in center, and Hebrew line at bottom of page.
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This manuscript copy of a prayer book, containing prayers and hymns for the Sephardic community of Amsterdam, was written out by David Mendes.
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Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.

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Creator Bio

David Franco Mendes

1713–1792

David Franco Mendes was a Dutch-Portuguese businessman born into a prominent Sephardic family of Amsterdam. A prolific writer, he had a gift for languages, of which he knew seven, and wrote his poetry in Hebrew. His best-known literary work is the drama Gemul Atalyah, influenced partly by Jean Racine’s play Athalie. Franco Mendes was also a highly regarded Judaic scholar. In the latter part of his life, a crisis in the Dutch economy ruined his business, obliging him from 1778 on to earn his living by copying manuscripts.

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Political Life and Thought, 1750–1880

Jews debated all sides of the major political issues of their day. Some welcomed the idea of equality, whereas others feared the loss of their religious-institutional distinctiveness. 

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