Spinoza Statue

On the corner of the Amstel and the Zwanenburgerwal stands a statue of a very special Amsterdammer: the Jewish philosopher Spinoza. Spinoza is the most famous philosopher of the Netherlands and has been important for the way of thinking in the Western world. One of his famous quotes is: "In a free country, you may think what you want and say what you think." Baruch Spinoza was born on November 24, 1632, in Amsterdam as the third child of Hanna Deborah Senior and Portuguese-Jewish merchant Michael D'Espinoza. 

His parents were descendants of so-called 'conversos' or 'new Christians': Jews who in their homelands of Spain and Portugal were forced from the late 15th century onward to live as Catholics. Some continued to live as Jews in secret, and therefore the new Christians were permanently persecuted by the Inquisition, including Spinoza's family. These new Christians found a new home in the flourishing trading city of Amsterdam from the end of the 16th century onward, where they could live in freedom and return to the Judaism of their ancestors. 

The young Baruch grew up in a house on the site where the Moses and Aaron Church now stands. He received a traditional Jewish education, learned Hebrew, and studied the Torah, the Talmud, and Jewish philosophy. He also engaged with more worldly subjects such as natural science and astronomy. After his father's death, at age 22, he continued his father's import firm in Mediterranean products such as citrus fruits and oil together with his brother. 

It was during this period that his famous ideas emerged, such as that God and nature are two names for the same reality. He also emphasized the great importance of freedom of expression. But it was probably his view that Jews no longer need to observe the Biblical, Mosaic laws that led the leaders of the Jewish community to excommunicate him in 1656. This meant total exclusion from the Jewish community. To this day, he is banned from the Portuguese Synagogue nearby. After his exile, he settled in Rijnsburg where he earned his living as a lens grinder.