Shock and emotion in Amsterdam following the violent anti-Semitic attacks perpetrated against Israeli supporters on the sidelines of a football match Thursday evening. The city and its Jewish community remain marked, while condemnations pour in from around the world…
Amsterdam and its Jewish community are still in shock, two days after the serious anti-Semitic violence perpetrated on the sidelines of the football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Thursday evening. Attacks which sparked a wave of international condemnation.
In the Jodenbuurt, the historic Jewish quarter of the Dutch capital, a reinforced police presence is visible around the Portuguese synagogue and the Jewish museum. The atmosphere is heavy and the community is discreet on this Saturday morning in the market.
I feel the shame that every Amsterdammer must feel, because once again, as if history is repeating itself, Jews are being attacked simply because they are Jewish.
A Jewish market trader, preferring to remain anonymous
An evening of incredible violence
Thursday evening, after Ajax’s big 5-0 victory, Israeli Maccabi supporters were violently attacked by groups of individuals in the streets of Amsterdam. An outbreak of violence in an already tense context, marked by an increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli acts since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas last October.
The toll is heavy: five people briefly hospitalized and 63 arrests according to the police. Israel had to charter emergency flights to repatriate its nationals.
Incidents from the day before the match
Tensions were palpable on Wednesday, the day before the meeting. Maccabi supporters tore down a Palestinian flag from a facade in the city center and burned another in Dam Square, sparking outrage.
I am totally opposed to what Israel is doing in Gaza, it is horrible and it crosses the line. But what happened in Amsterdam went too far.
Edit Tuboly, 61 years old, a passerby
Wave of international condemnations
From the Amsterdam town hall to the Dutch government, including numerous foreign leaders including American President Joe Biden, condemnations are raining down, unanimously describing these attacks as anti-Semitic.
A city of refuge in shock
For the Jewish community, it is a symbol that is wavering. Amsterdam, nicknamed “Mokum” or “safe place” in Yiddish, is historically considered a haven for Jews. Only the dark parenthesis of the Second World War tarnished this image.
Until now, we thought that Amsterdam and the Netherlands were spared from this extreme violence against Jews.
The market trader, moved
Commemoration of Kristallnacht canceled
The shock wave is such that an evening commemorating Kristallnacht, in which the anti-Zionist Jewish collective Erev Rav was to take part, was canceled. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has banned all gatherings for 3 days.
Amsterdam should be ashamed of the pogrom perpetrated on the evening of Kristallnacht.
The collective of Dutch Jewish organizations Centraal Joods Overleg
The Jewish community feels insecure
For Joana Cavaco, president of the Erev Rav collective, “it is worrying to see that we are talking about the security of Jews without seeing what is happening on the ground”. According to her, Maccabi supporters felt they had “carte blanche” and started the provocations as soon as they arrived.
We don’t feel safe because Israel dictates how the world perceives us.
Joana Cavaco, president of Erev Rav
In the aftermath of this unprecedented violence, Amsterdam is struggling to regain its peace. For its Jewish community, the road will be long to recover from this trauma and regain this very special status of “safe place”. The wounds will take time to heal.
