. ▁This ▁last ed ▁until ▁ 1 8 7 1 , ▁when ▁the ▁P IK ▁( f ounded ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 0 ▁by ▁diss atisf ied ▁Se ph ard ic ▁Jews ▁after ▁arguments ▁about ▁where ▁the ▁central ▁organization ▁which ▁represented ▁all ▁Jews ▁in ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁was ▁to ▁be ▁settled ▁and ▁after ▁the ▁wish ▁to ▁remove ▁itself ▁from ▁their ▁Ash ken azi ▁co - rel ig ion ists ) ▁removed ▁itself ▁from ▁the ▁Ash ken azi ▁community ▁and ▁became ▁a ▁fully ▁independent ▁segment ▁within ▁Dutch ▁J uda ism . ▁ ▁Center ▁of ▁Se ph ard ic ▁life ▁in ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁was ▁Amsterdam , ▁although ▁throughout ▁time , ▁communities ▁also ▁existed ▁in ▁places ▁like ▁The ▁H ague , ▁Rot ter dam ▁( tw ice , ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ), ▁M idd el burg ▁and ▁Na arden . ▁At ▁the ▁e ve ▁of ▁the ▁Hol oca ust , ▁some ▁ 4 , 3 0 0 ▁Se ph ard ic ▁Jews ▁were ▁living ▁in ▁the ▁Netherlands , ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁them ▁in ▁Amsterdam . ▁Most ▁of ▁them ▁were ▁killed ; ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁war , ▁an ▁estimated ▁ 8 0 0 ▁were ▁still ▁alive . ▁ ▁Today ▁ ▁Currently ▁the ▁P IK , ▁or ▁P IG , ▁has ▁some ▁ 2 7 0 ▁families ▁( an ▁estimated ▁ 6 0 0 ▁persons ) ▁affili ated ▁to ▁it . ▁The ▁community ▁regularly ▁holds ▁services ▁in ▁the ▁monument al ▁Es n oga ▁syn agog