Nederlands Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap
The Nederlands-Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap () (NIK) is the umbrella organisation for most Jewish communities in the Netherlands, and is Orthodox in nature, while to be described as traditional in outlook. The expression Orthodox, is for the Dutch situation at least, of a later date than the existence of the congregations that make up the NIK and the NIK itself. The Rabbi of the NIK is Rabbi Dr. Raphael Evers. In total, the NIK has some 20 rabbis actively working in 18 congregations throughout the country, serving some 5,000 Jews. History. 19th century. The NIK was founded in 1814  under the reign of Willem I, although the first steps towards a central organisation of Jewish communities in the Netherlands (which was the initial purpose of the NIK) were already taken in 1808, under command of Napoleon. The NIK was to form an umbrella over the existing Jewish communities. The NIK and its member-congregations maintained the traditional view on Judaism as it had been ever since and kept on going along this line, till today. Both the Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities were included. The newly found umbrella organisation had a clear hierarchical design: the Jewish communities were governed on  a local level by twelve so-called large "hoofdsynagogen" (lit.: head synagogues), which had the power over the medium-sized synagogues (communities), which themselves had power over the smallest synagogues (called "bijkerken", like small Jewish communities on the Dutch countryside). Of the twelve "hoofdsynagogen", two were located in Amsterdam (Ashkenazi and Sephardic), two in The Hague (Ashkenazi and Sephardic), and one each in Rotterdam, Amersfoort, Middelburg, Den Bosch, Nijmegen, Zwolle, Leeuwarden and Groningen (all Ashkenazi, at that time called "Hoogduits", lit. "High German"). Two years later, another two were included: one in Maastricht, and one in Brussels (at that time  Belgium was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). This form of structuring the Jewish community in the Netherlands gave a lot of power to the (chief) rabbis, as they were given the power to govern the entire community. With the new constitution in 1848 however, things changed. In its first step to a fully secular state, the government decided towards a separation of Church and State. This banned rabbis from any administrative role whatsoever. 1871 saw new regulations for the organisation. The Sephardic communities left the NIK to form the Portugees-Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap, gaining full independence within the Jewish  community again as they had had in the centuries preceding the NIK. The NIK became thus fully Ashkenazi. The NIK saw its height in 1877 when it administered over some 176 Jewish communities throughout the Netherlands. The following decades saw a steady decline, administrating 139 communities on the eve of World War II. 20th century. The Holocaust destroyed most of the congregations, as at least 105,000 on a total of 140,000 Dutch Jews were killed by the Nazis between 1940 and 1945. 21st century. The NIK has some 20 rabbis governing some 36 Jewish communities or some 5,000 Jews and  giving chaplaincy in the armed forces and to Jewish inmates. This makes them the largest Jewish religious organisation in the Netherlands. The NIK follows the rules of Orthodox Judaism, meaning among other things a separation between men and women during religious services and only accepting members who are halakhically Jewish. Despite the fact that the NIK follows the rules of Orthodox Judaism, most members do not consider themselves to be Orthodox Jews; thus making the NIK an organisation with a traditional Jewish outlook. Main rabbi for the NIK is Rabbi Dr. Raphael Evers, who serves by large as the face  of the organisation in the media, representing the Jewish voice and opinion. Along with the larger Jewish communities, the NIK is responsible for supervising whether the rules for kashrut are followed, as well as the mikvaot (ritual baths), the upkeep of some two-hundred Jewish cemeteries in the Netherlands (on a national total of two-hundred-and-fifty) and (Orthodox) conversions to Judaism by non-Jews. The NIK also functions as a Jewish book publisher for the rather small Dutch language, bringing a variety of books with Jewish content to the Dutch-reading public, a.o. translated Torah, prayerbooks, part of  the Mishna, Kitsur Shulchan Aruch, manuals for Jewish daily life and a successful structured plan for Jewish education to children from 4 years old and on to over 13 years. Part of the NIK is the Nederlands Israëlietisch Seminarium, the Jewish seminary, a state-recognized educational institution, which educates for Jewish teacher and rabbi. Four times a year the NIK publishes Hakehillot, a magazine for the Jews in the Netherlands, whilst it maintains a weekly updated news site and e-letter too. Congregations. Current. Congregations are called Nederlands Israëlietische Gemeente (NIG) or Joodse Gemeente. They exist in the following places