Around 1550, Mijchel Pijrkel settles in the town of Groningen. Shortly afterwards Saalomon de Joode obtains permission to set up a doctor's practice there. These are the beginnings of the Jewish settlement in Groningen. The population increases, and in the 18th century it is Winschoten, Veendam and Appingedam in particular that grow into important places of residence.
In the beginning, the rights of the Jewish population are limited. It is not until 1756 that permission is given to consecrate the first synagogue in the town of Groningen, in the Kleine Folkingestraat. In 1796, the ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity provide equal rights for the Jewish inhabitants of Groningen as well, which will allow Jewish citizens in the 19th and the 20th century to play an important role in society.
Dr. L. Ali Cohen, Public Health Inspector for the Northern Dutch provinces, does pioneering work in the field of hygiene. The painters Jozef and Isaac Israëls achieve nationwide fame. Aletta Jacobs is the first female physician in the Netherlands and besomes a world-wide celebrity as a champion of women's rights. Gerzon's first fashion house on the Vismarkt is a great success. Levie's gentlemen's clothing firm conquers the Dutch market. Catz's drugstore at Pekela expands into a world-wide spice company. In the thirties of the 20th century, famous Jewish scholars are working as professors at the University of Groningen, such as the philosopher Dr. L. Polak and the sociologist Dr. H. Plessner, and the names of the musicians Benny Behr and Sem Nijveen are still household words today.

But this flowering has its drawback, too. Around 1900, life is hard for many. A great number of Jews from the province come to town to seek their fortune, so that half the Jewish population of Groningen ends up living in dire circumstances. In the thirties of the 20th century, the Folkingestraat is the Jewish shopping street and the centre of religious and social life. But the German occupation, 1940-1945, puts an end to all this. Virtually the entire Jewish community is killed off by the Nazis.
Yet this is not the end of the history of Jewish Groningen. The Folkingestraat shul has been renovated and is now not only a religious centre, but also a place for cultural events.

As interest in history and genealogy is growing worldwide, we liked to fill in the gaps, arisen from many causes, by research of sources.
For that purpose we investigated the "archive of stones", i.e. the headstones on the Jewish cemeteries (more than 20) in Groningen; the data of the buried are to be found in the database, accompanied by a recent photo.
By this publication -at first of the 2000 stones in the city Groningen- on the worldwideweb these data are now available in an easy way for everyone who is interested in history and/ or looking for her/ his roots.