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Rembrandt's Jews
There is a popular and romantic myth about Rembrandt and the Jewish people. One of history's greatest artists, we are often told, had a special affinity for Judaism. With so many of Rembrandt's works devoted to stories of the Hebrew Bible, and with his apparent penchant for Jewish themes and the sympathetic portrayal of Jewish faces, it is no wonder that the myth has endured for centuries.
Rembrandt's Jews puts this myth to the test as it examines both the legend and the reality of Rembrandt's relationship to Jews and Judaism. In his elegantly written and engrossing tour of Jewish Amsterdam—which begins in 1653 as workers are repairing Rembrandt's Portuguese-Jewish neighbor's house and completely disrupting the artist's life and livelihood—Steven Nadler tells us the stories of the artist's portraits of Jewish sitters, of his mundane and often contentious dealings with his neighbors in the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, and of the tolerant setting that city provided for Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews fleeing persecution in other parts of Europe.
As Nadler shows, Rembrandt was only one of a number of prominent seventeenth-century Dutch painters and draftsmen who found inspiration in Jewish subjects. Looking at other artists, such as the landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael and Emmanuel de Witte, a celebrated painter of architectural interiors, Nadler is able to build a deep and complex account of the remarkable relationship between Dutch and Jewish cultures in the period, evidenced in the dispassionate, even ordinary ways in which Jews and their religion are represented—far from the demonization and grotesque caricatures, the iconography of the outsider, so often found in depictions of Jews during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Through his close look at paintings, etchings, and drawings; in his discussion of intellectual and social life during the Dutch Golden Age; and even through his own travels in pursuit of his subject, Nadler takes the reader through Jewish Amsterdam then and now—a trip that, under ever-threatening Dutch skies, is full of colorful and eccentric personalities, fiery debates, and magnificent art.
Rembrandt's Jews puts this myth to the test as it examines both the legend and the reality of Rembrandt's relationship to Jews and Judaism. In his elegantly written and engrossing tour of Jewish Amsterdam—which begins in 1653 as workers are repairing Rembrandt's Portuguese-Jewish neighbor's house and completely disrupting the artist's life and livelihood—Steven Nadler tells us the stories of the artist's portraits of Jewish sitters, of his mundane and often contentious dealings with his neighbors in the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, and of the tolerant setting that city provided for Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews fleeing persecution in other parts of Europe.
As Nadler shows, Rembrandt was only one of a number of prominent seventeenth-century Dutch painters and draftsmen who found inspiration in Jewish subjects. Looking at other artists, such as the landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael and Emmanuel de Witte, a celebrated painter of architectural interiors, Nadler is able to build a deep and complex account of the remarkable relationship between Dutch and Jewish cultures in the period, evidenced in the dispassionate, even ordinary ways in which Jews and their religion are represented—far from the demonization and grotesque caricatures, the iconography of the outsider, so often found in depictions of Jews during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Through his close look at paintings, etchings, and drawings; in his discussion of intellectual and social life during the Dutch Golden Age; and even through his own travels in pursuit of his subject, Nadler takes the reader through Jewish Amsterdam then and now—a trip that, under ever-threatening Dutch skies, is full of colorful and eccentric personalities, fiery debates, and magnificent art.
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2003
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About the author
Steven Nadler
58 books107 followersSteven Nadler is the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. His books include Rembrandt's Jews, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Spinoza: A Life, which won the Koret Jewish Book Award; and A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age (Princeton).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 19, 2025
Rembrandt’s Jews offers a deeply researched and engaging portrait of seventeenth-century Amsterdam’s Jewish community and its intersection with the art of Rembrandt van Rijn. Nadler sets his story against the backdrop of the city’s tolerant milieu — both Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews fleeing persecution — and explores how they lived, worshipped, and engaged with the visual arts.
In particular, it opens with a dramatic moment in 1653 when construction next door to Rembrandt’s house (belonging to the Jewish merchant Daniel Pinto) disrupted the artist’s life — a vivid instance of how Rembrandt’s world and the Jewish quarter overlapped.
Historians of Netherlandish Art. Nadler weaves in the Jewish synagogues, cemeteries (like Beth Haim at Ouderkerk aan de Amstel), and the visual culture of Jewish patronage in Amsterdam.
I appreciated learning more about Rembrandt’s life and about what life was like for Jews during the early Enlightenment era, how they built synagogues, amassed art collections, and in some cases became clients or neighbours of leading artists. The book also tackles the “myth” of Rembrandt’s special affinity for Judaism and offers a sober treatment of that relationship rather than an uncritical celebration.
That said, the narrative does drag a little toward the end, drifting into some detailed digressions (especially around synagogue-building, burial practices and the wider art world context) that may feel less directly connected to Rembrandt himself. Still, the book is richly detailed, thoughtfully written and overall rewarding for anyone interested in art history, Jewish history or their intersection.
In short: A compelling read and a worthwhile addition to understanding how one of Europe’s greatest artists inhabited the world of Amsterdam’s Jewish community — recommended with the caveat that its pacing slows in places.
In particular, it opens with a dramatic moment in 1653 when construction next door to Rembrandt’s house (belonging to the Jewish merchant Daniel Pinto) disrupted the artist’s life — a vivid instance of how Rembrandt’s world and the Jewish quarter overlapped.
Historians of Netherlandish Art. Nadler weaves in the Jewish synagogues, cemeteries (like Beth Haim at Ouderkerk aan de Amstel), and the visual culture of Jewish patronage in Amsterdam.
I appreciated learning more about Rembrandt’s life and about what life was like for Jews during the early Enlightenment era, how they built synagogues, amassed art collections, and in some cases became clients or neighbours of leading artists. The book also tackles the “myth” of Rembrandt’s special affinity for Judaism and offers a sober treatment of that relationship rather than an uncritical celebration.
That said, the narrative does drag a little toward the end, drifting into some detailed digressions (especially around synagogue-building, burial practices and the wider art world context) that may feel less directly connected to Rembrandt himself. Still, the book is richly detailed, thoughtfully written and overall rewarding for anyone interested in art history, Jewish history or their intersection.
In short: A compelling read and a worthwhile addition to understanding how one of Europe’s greatest artists inhabited the world of Amsterdam’s Jewish community — recommended with the caveat that its pacing slows in places.
June 25, 2018
More like: History of Amsterdam's Portugese Jews (quite interesting, to be honest!) with 40 pages in the beginning about Rembrandt's possible Jewish themes in some of his paintings.
September 17, 2017
Having just vacationed in Amsterdam, this book was especially interesting and informative and supplemental to my trip. My only hesitation about it is that the title is a little deceptive, in the sense that the book is more a history of Dutch Jews than just about Rembrandt's relationship (or lack thereof) with the Jews of his time. Some parts of the book feel like a collection of articles about different topics, joined together in a book. And there is a great deal of uncertainty (understandably so, when some documents are not available, or dating and provenance of some paintings are not known) in certain parts of the book. Having read several book about Dutch Jewry recently, I've learned, for example, that Spinoza is considered to be buried in three different places (two in Delft and one in the Hague). How can that be? But overall, one learns a great deal from this book; the author has also written about Spinoza in separate books.
February 9, 2023
This book is a history of the Jews of 17th century Amsterdam through the lens of Rembrandt, who lived in the Jewish quarter for much of his career, used his Jewish neighbors as models, and often depicted scenes from Jewish scripture in his work.
To be fair, I skimmed the second half of the book, but I feel like I got the gist. The Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain more readily and easily assimilated in to bourgeois Dutch society, while the Ashkenazi who were fleeing more recent porgroms in Central and Eastern Europe were considered more "other." Throughout the book, Nadler poses questions for inquiry like, "why were the Calvinist Dutch so fascinated by Judaism," or "is the subject of this particular artwork actually Jewish," and then present possible answers and then land on "we really have no way of knowing!" I actually like this kind of intellectual humility in nonfiction and appreciated this approach to scholarship.
To be fair, I skimmed the second half of the book, but I feel like I got the gist. The Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain more readily and easily assimilated in to bourgeois Dutch society, while the Ashkenazi who were fleeing more recent porgroms in Central and Eastern Europe were considered more "other." Throughout the book, Nadler poses questions for inquiry like, "why were the Calvinist Dutch so fascinated by Judaism," or "is the subject of this particular artwork actually Jewish," and then present possible answers and then land on "we really have no way of knowing!" I actually like this kind of intellectual humility in nonfiction and appreciated this approach to scholarship.
May 17, 2013
A very informative read, but not really a unified text. Some wonderful work weaving in the writer's present day journeys along with significant explorations into both broad historical arcs, and the revealing of interesting, detailed discoveries, but an inconsistent flow/strategy. Also, some very interesting potential points to make (since the author floats back and forth between the past and present) about the interconnections to Jewish life today -- assimilation, manners of Jewish expression, development of suburban life -- that are left untapped. Still, highly recommend. (Though I feel like it somehow could use one last, really good scholarly editor to cinch it all together...perhaps why it's now out-of-print?...)
January 10, 2024
The main topic of Rembrandt's Jews is the history of the midcentury 17th century Jews in Amsterdam. This Jewish community was mostly comprised of conversos expelled from Portugal a century earlier. The freedoms they were afforded in Holland allowed them to become very successful.
What is unique about Nadler's approach to the subject is the fact he intertwines story of this Jewish community with the flourishing art and artists of the same period and locale. The book is very well researched. I found it to be a good read, but because of its esoteric subject manner, probably of limited appeal.
What is unique about Nadler's approach to the subject is the fact he intertwines story of this Jewish community with the flourishing art and artists of the same period and locale. The book is very well researched. I found it to be a good read, but because of its esoteric subject manner, probably of limited appeal.
November 20, 2018
Perhaps it was my recent trip to Amsterdam or perhaps because I have ancestors who were Dutch Jews - both Sephardic and Ashkenazic - but I found this book profoundly involving. The combination of art and history seemed to humanize what might otherwise have been a relatively dry story and made it come alive. I enjoyed the book immensely.
December 23, 2023
Rembrandt and the Jewish Community in Amsterdam
A fascinating look at 17th century Dutch art, the development of the Sephardic Jewish community in Amsterdam and Rembrandt’s involvement with both.
A fascinating look at 17th century Dutch art, the development of the Sephardic Jewish community in Amsterdam and Rembrandt’s involvement with both.
February 4, 2018
Interesting history of the Jews in Amsterdam in the time of Rembrandt. At times a little bit dry.
March 15, 2017
Excellent account of Jewish life and political treatment of Jews in 17th century Holland, as seen through the lens of artists such as Rembrandt, Saenradem, de Witte, etc.
April 12, 2023
Fascinating book, well-written and revealing about
Rembrant's relation to his Jewish neighbors in Amsterdam. Amsterdam attracted Jews in the 17th century because in Holland Jews found more freedom and security than anywhere else.Spanish and Portugues speaking Sephardim conversos from the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal and later Ashkenazi Jews from Germany emigrated. The Sephardim -- many prosperous merchants --- took on the aristocratic dress and customs of their hosts. Many Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews fled the devastation of the Thirty Years War in the 1630's. Unlike theSephardim, the Ashkenazim maintained traditional appearance -- long coats for men with beards and eyes, and head-coverings for women. This thriving Jewish community (140k before WW2) is now mostly just landmarks and memories.
A fascinating art (the plates and drawings alone are worth the price of purchase) and cultural history. I would give this 6 stars if that were possible.
Rembrant's relation to his Jewish neighbors in Amsterdam. Amsterdam attracted Jews in the 17th century because in Holland Jews found more freedom and security than anywhere else.Spanish and Portugues speaking Sephardim conversos from the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal and later Ashkenazi Jews from Germany emigrated. The Sephardim -- many prosperous merchants --- took on the aristocratic dress and customs of their hosts. Many Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews fled the devastation of the Thirty Years War in the 1630's. Unlike theSephardim, the Ashkenazim maintained traditional appearance -- long coats for men with beards and eyes, and head-coverings for women. This thriving Jewish community (140k before WW2) is now mostly just landmarks and memories.
A fascinating art (the plates and drawings alone are worth the price of purchase) and cultural history. I would give this 6 stars if that were possible.
September 19, 2008
Very informative about the life of Sephardim in 17th century Amsterdam. Readable too.
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October 5, 2011Just started...
June 14, 2015
Not only a great work of art criticism, but a great history piece (of Jewish life in the Dutch Golden Age) with a bit of quasi-theology thrown in (the Dutch view of themselves as the "New Israel".)
May 14, 2019
It was an ok read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews