By JTA
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has visited the offices of the Jewish community of Amsterdam for the first time since his coronation in April. The visit by the Dutch king to the representative organ of the city’s Jewish community, known by the Dutch acronym NIHS, came less than three months after his coronation, in which he replaced his mother, Queen Beatrix.
Dutch media reported in April that some Jews were upset because Beatrix’s official farewell party is reportedly to take place in Rotterdam on Yom Kippur. Beatrix last visited the NIHS offices in 2010.
Willem-Alexander, 46, toured the NIHS offices with his Argentine-born wife, Queen Maxima, while wearing a blue yarmulke laced with silver threads. The royal couple also entered the nearby synagogue on Jacob Obrecht Square. They met with Jewish teachers, representatives and rabbis, according to the AD daily.
In October, Willem-Alexander officiated at the dedication of the new Jewish cultural quarter in Amsterdam – an area containing several Jewish institutions including the country’s main Jewish museum and the Portuguese Synagogue and its library.
