Trama

Neshoma is set in Amsterdam between World War I & II, when one out of ten of the city's residents was Jewish. Seventeen-year-old Rusha lives in the Jewish quarter with her family. Her older brother Max has emigrated to the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. In her letters to Max, Rusha recounts daily life in the city. This creates a vivid image of Amsterdam during the interwar period, from the perspective of the Jewish community.

The film begins shortly after World War I, a period full of confidence in the future. The combination of Rusha's letters and archival footage creates a colorful portrait of proud diamond cutters; haggling traders at the flea market; cabaret artists with songs that everyone sings along to; city officials like De Miranda, who are committed to social housing; and the entrepreneurs behind warehouse De Bijenkorf, the luxurious Amstel Hotel, and cinema Tuschinski. These stories illustrate the importance of the Jewish community to the city.

The initial optimism after World War I is gradually tested by a severe economic depression and the rise of fascism, leading to the occupation of The Netherlands. Humor and zest for life, the "lechajim," provide comfort to the Jews in times of adversity. Against this backdrop, Rusha grows from a young girl into an independent woman, lovingly navigating between the ideas of her socialist father and the religious beliefs of her husband. The outbreak of World War II presents her with an impossible choice. Neshoma is not only about the lives of those who are no longer here, but also about what they have left behind: the Jewish soul of Amsterdam, the neshoma.