Homepage Seder Chazzanut Amsterdam Portuguese community

Dr. M Rodrigues Pereira (MRP) ז"ל wrote in his introduction to Hochmát Shelomó that "The compilation of this guide ... has been undertaken because of my personal observation that the oral tradition ... according to minhag of the Western Sephardeem is in danger of getting lost". I couldn't express my reasons to undertaking building this site in a better way. What is true for the Western Sephardim in general is even more true for the Dutch Sephardim, a community which was heavily diminished by the Shoah (Holocaust) and is struggling to survive.

Seder Chazzanut describes the unique nusach (custom) of the Amsterdam Portuguese community, as used in the Esnoga. Up till 1950, various hand-written booklets existed, written by Chazzanim and Shamashim for their personal usage. One such manuscript, written by O. Brandon in 1892, was printed around 1950 in a limited edition and photocopies of it are used today as our main source for the minhag. That Seder hazzanut from O. Brandon is therefore also the basis of this website.

This site aims to bring together in an extensive, and hopefully complete way, the “what", "when” and "how" to say from the old manuscripts, with the “how it sounds” from many recordings and the "why", when applicable, in a multi-media way.

The first pages of this site found their origin in May 2003 in a demonstration of the possibilities and were written in Dutch . To open our unique nusach to a wider audience, it was decided to publish the site in English. It took me 20 years to complete this site. The last pages were added in May 2023. All Dutch pages have been replaced by English versions. Only some articles, originally written in Dutch, have not been translated. If you apply common sense, you can use translate tools to read the Dutch texts.

Jacob (Jaap) B. Sondervan
יעקב בנימין בן הח' אורי הכהן ורבקה חנה הכהנת פריירה

This site has a twin: a site on Dutch Askenazi minhagim,
please see www.nik.nl/chazzanoet
This website is archived by the National Library of the Netherlands

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Recently added:

Festive Shabbatot

Some Kippur sheet music

Sheet music collection Chazzan Nunes Nabarro

About the Piyut for the Chatan (groom) פיוט לחתן (JBS)

All services for all Festivals (רגלים)

A new version of Annotated Seder Chazzanut (now pages 171-183)

Notes by S. Mendes Coutinho (Dutch) September 1944 - May 1945, a.o. about the secret Services during the war.

Order of the shoveling at the cemetery

Collection of notes on Samasut (decorum, partly in Dutch)

A start has been made on publishing the Ets Haim library music collection (sheet music manuscripts and recordings mainly by Eliot Alderman)

What is the month's name: "Av" or "Menacheem"? (JBS)

Pregãos – announcements in Portuguese during the service (JBS)

On the first day of Rosh Chodesh Tishri 5781, 8 August 2021, the Duchan was instituted on Rosh Chodesh during weekdays. See the responsa (Duchan) by Rabbi Serfaty on the subject, and a recording of this historical first Duchan during weekdays ever.

Tefillien en doechenen: kohaniem spreken priesterzegen uit op Rosj Chodesj by Mr. R. Vis. (in Dutch)

Various Parasa portions on high melody and megilat Esther (ARP)

Chiyuvim (obligations) and minhagim (customs) around the reading of the torah.

Candles protocol

Minhagim following the calendar

Azharot

Annotated Seder Cahazzanut version (JBS, in development; ready: pages 171-180)

A pdf version (searchable) version of Seder Chazzanut Brandon.

Mincha for Mismara (Fast of eve of Rosh Chodesh also called Yom Kippur Katan - יום קיפור קטן):

Recording by Isaac Gomes de Mesquita: Berachot & Hanerot (1975)

Amsterdam talitot tradition and how to tie tsitsit

Music notation by Bram Lopes Cardozo

All Rosh Hashana services

Duchan on Shabbat, see also responsa on this topic.

Selichot (supplications) for Elul and Yeme teshuba (morning and evening)

Bessam (ברכת המזון) Alebert Gomes de Mesquita

Parasot of the week (being added)

Some video clips recorded during the Corona crises 2020-5780

New page: Responsa (שו"ת) related to contemporary issues in our kehila

Table evening prayers (Ngarbit) weekdays.

A full scan of Duque's eleven months register (1923-2017).

Humash Piza (חומש עזרת הסופר) full scanת

An article describing the development of Seder Chazzanut in the last three centuries.

A start has been made publishing sheet music

	Emanuel Aguilar
	Santo Servicio
	David Ricardo
	Bram Cardozo
	Ets Haim sheet music collection
	Ets Haim sheet music recordings

More about Seder Chazzanut.

Contributors to this site

Rene Samson, DZB & NRP composed an Andoid Tefilot app for working days which can be installed from the Play Store (recommended) or directly from the website.

Disclaimer: The content on this site is based on many sources and verified as much as possible. It has no formal halachic status. In case of doubt, please contact the rabbinate of the Amsterdam Portuguese Community.

Jacob (Jaap) B. Sondervan.
יעקב בנימין בן אורי הכהן ורבקה חנה הכהנת פריירה