Laura Arnold Leibman

Eclectic low-income housing by Dutch Jewish architect Michel de Klerk. Museum Het Schip, Amsterdam. See more images on twitpic. de Klerk was one of the founders of the Amsterdam School of architecture. Raised in the Jewish slums near the old canal rings, he married married Sephardic Jew Lea Jessurun, daughter of Joseph Jessurun and Benvenida Brandon. Many of the early residents of this housing complex were also Jewish. #amsterdam #houses #workingclass #sephardic

Notice how the color of the tiling in this 19th century mikveh mimics the beautiful color of the water below. This mikveh was added to the Portuguese Synagogue's complex in the late nineteenth century. Originally there were five mikva'ot added to this wing of the complex: two first class baths, and three second class baths. This remaining mikveh is one of the second-class mikva'ot. Plans for these mikva'ot drawn by W. Nijhoff (architect) in 1892 are available online. Also