A skull on a white marble tombstone looks like it’s bathed in blood at the fabulous Beth Haim cemetery in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, on the outskirts of Amsterdam.
I visited Beth Haim shortly after an epic rainstorm.
Rainwater had churned and mixed with a layer of reddish plant debris on this marble tombstone, creating an unexpectedly sanguine scene.
Beth Haim (House of Life) is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands and features hundreds of graves of Sephardi Jews, whose ancestors came from Spain and Portugal.
Many famous Jewish rabbis, diplomats and scientists are buried at Beth Haim, and the tombstones are carved with elaborate scenes featuring skulls, religious characters and mystic symbols.
Beth Haim is one of the most fascinating cemeteries I’ve ever visited.
