1590

ONE OF THE FIRST JEWS TO BE OFFICIALLY REGISTERED IN THE HAGUE

Samuel Pallache (ca. 1550 ~ 1616), a trader-adventurer from Marocco, came with his brother to The Netherlands in 1590, where he became one of the founding members of the Amsterdam Sephardic Jewish community. He often travelled between Marocco and The Netherlands and negotiated with Prins Maurits as official envoy of the Sultan about cooperation between Marocco and the ‘Staten van Holland’ against Spain and the Barbary pirates. The Prince even gave him a Letter of Patent, a license to capture ennemy ships. In 1614 he attempted to bring a captured Portuguese vessel to Holland. A storm forced him to take shelter in an English harbour, where at the request of the Spanish Ambassador, he was imprisoned. Pressure from Prins Maurits secured his release. Ill and penniless he returned to Holland, where he died on January 4th 1616. As Samuel Pallache he was buried in Beth Haim, the Portuguese cemetary in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, which exists and is used to this very day.