In a joint statement, Binyomin Jacobs, Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands, Ellen Van Praag, Binyomin Jacobs, President of the Interprovincial Opperrabbinaat (IPOR), an organisation of smaller Jewish communities, and Rabbi Menachem Margolin, President of the European Jewish Federation, condemned the brutal anti-Jewish attacks in Amsterdam.
„Wake up! A cancer of Jew hate is plaguing the continent. From here on in, it cannot be business as usual when it comes to antisemitism,” reads their message to the Dutch government and European Leaders.
The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome on X (formerly Twitter): „When we said never again we meant it. Europe has failed the Jewish people again. But now, we have a state.#NeverAgain #AmsterdamPogrom pic.twitter.com/kkDznySo03 / X”
When we said never again we meant it. Europe has failed the Jewish people again. But now, we have a state.#NeverAgain #AmsterdamPogrom pic.twitter.com/kkDznySo03
Signatories say the „disgusting” antisemitic scenes on Thursday night are shocking but not surprising.
„This was not hooliganism. Hooliganism is a regular occurrence at football games. The heavy presence of police and security forces in Amsterdam last night attests to this. They were prepared and ready for it. Antisemitism is the only motive here. But what followed afterwards – these disgusting and brutal assaults, are the strongest example of the extreme antisemitism, the all-pervading Jew hatred, that is running like a cancer throughout the continent. When writers like Herman Brusselmans can say with impunity that he wants to stick a knife in the throat of every Jew he meets, this is the outcome. People roaming the streets in masks, asking people if they are Jewish, then assaulting them and throwing them into canals. This is Europe now in 2024.”
Jewish leaders welcomed the Dutch government’s compassionate stance and condemnation of what happened but said a more proactive approach was needed. The Dutch government needs to show meaningful engagement with the Jewish community.
„We call this hate a Cancer. It requires immediate surgery. These assaults are not an isolated incident. It is part of a much bigger picture of Jew hate. Since October 7th, in the Netherlands, Jews cannot take public transport; they are fearful. Every day, across the continent, hundreds of smaller incidents of Jew hate take place. They do not receive the public response nor the government response they deserve. We say to the Dutch government and governments across Europe: wake up. It cannot be business as usual from now on when it comes to fighting antisemitism.”
Photo credit: AP Photo InterVision
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