Israel did not exist when the Holocaust brought death and destruction to Jews across Europe. Israel is now a nation capable of sending planes to Europe to rescue Jews in peril, and it recently did just that—rescuing Israelis under attack in Amsterdam. It is mind-blowing that Jews in Europe today needed to be saved after premeditated and coordinated violent attacks were carried out against Israeli soccer fans just for being Jewish. The assault happened days before the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”)—the notorious night when Nazis ransacked thousands of Jewish businesses, destroyed hundreds of synagogues and killed 91 Jews on Nov. 9-10, 1938. Chants to “Globalize the intifada” around the world are normalizing attacks against Jews everywhere.
Netherlands: ‘Hunting for Jews’
In the midst of the attacks, videos and pictures quickly spread on social media documenting the violence:
- A driver intentionally rams a Jewish man in the street causing him to fly into the air.
- An Israeli was kicked on the ground while unconscious.
- Men and women on the ground, beaten and bloody.
- An Israeli was forced into a canal and hounded until he stated, “Free Palestine.”
- Earlier in the day, two men chased an Israeli down the street and beat him with their belts.
Non-Jews also were attacked. One man was punched in the face while shouting: “I’m not Jewish!” Another was beaten because the attackers stated that he “helped a Jew.”
The Network Contagion Research Institute documented evidence of the planned violence. Several Dutch anti-Israel groups used their social media accounts on Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp to promote organized violence. Amsterdam’s mayor: “On social-media groups, people talked of going to hunt down Jews.”
Israelis witnessed gangs spread throughout the city armed with clubs and knives ready to ambush them, stabbing, kicking and ramming cars into Israelis. Dan Kopleh: “For an hour and a half from the start of the event, the police didn’t lift a finger.” Amit Amira: “Three people approached me on the street and asked where I was from. I said, ‘Greece.’ One of them grabbed my hand and told me to show my ID.” A day before the game, an Israeli was beaten up by a gang of nearly a dozen: “I was punched in the head, two teeth broken. I was found in a pool of blood.”
A non-Jewish hero emerges: ‘I saved as many as I could’
An Israeli Druze soccer fan said he felt that the attacks reminded him of Oct. 7, 2023. He used his fluent Arabic to save the lives of Israeli Jews, an estimated 150 of them.
Melhem Asad said: “The local police just screwed up. They didn’t guard us. We felt totally exposed after the game. I shouted to a group of Arabic-speaking attackers that no Jews were still here—that they escaped—and they believed I was one of them. I did everything I could to confuse them, knowing exactly where our fans were. I ran towards groups of Israelis and warned them that dangerous immigrants were looking to hurt us. I feel that God sent me at the right time. I am an Israeli, and I knew I had to help if I could.”
A Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi mobilized local Jews to help the trapped Israelis. Rabbi Dovi Pinkovitch recounted: “There were cases when local taxis took the Israelis towards the center of the clashes instead of bringing them to safety, so we understood we needed to help.” Jews from Germany and Holland drove for hours to come help out.
Leaders ignored warnings: ‘We failed the Jewish community again’
Israeli security agencies warned Dutch authorities about three identifiable threats before the soccer game. Now, the government is investigating why these warnings were not addressed. There were reports that police arrested 62 attackers, but those arrests were made before and during the game.
Dutch and other prominent leaders, including the Dutch king and prime minister, the Amsterdam mayor and dozens of politicians worldwide immediately condemned the attacks. The city’s police admitted that they failed to be more prepared and did not act quickly enough:
- Dutch king: “We failed the Jewish community during WWII, last night we failed again.”
- Israeli prime minister: The 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht was “marked” on the streets of Amsterdam.
- Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.): “The hysterical and hyperbolic demonization of Israel has led to a global outbreak of antisemitic vitriol, vandalism and violence.”
A recent troubling report claimed that some Dutch police officers refused to guard Jewish sites or events, including the Dutch National Holocaust Museum, because of “moral objections.” When the museum opened in March, anti-Israel activists protested outside because Israel’s president attended the ceremony. Incidents against Jews in the Netherlands have surged 800% since the Hamas massacre in Israel a year ago. Earlier this year, a Dutch airport guard of Pakistani ancestry harassed a former hostage of Hamas. Two survivors of the Nova music festival faced similar abuse at a British airport.
About 3,000 Israeli soccer fans were in Amsterdam to cheer their team from Tel Aviv that was playing against a Dutch squad. Videos show some Israeli fans tearing down a Palestinian flag the day before the attack, as well as a large group of fans chanting anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian rhetoric. These acts have been used by some to justify the attacks, even though there is evidence that the large-scale assaults across the city were organized and coordinated well in advance.
Police officers “deny that the Jewish supporters misbehaved or brought aggression upon themselves.” One officer said: “The ferocity of the attacks, but also the cowardice to beat up groups of defenseless people in dark alleys and streets, was disgusting.” Days later, Arab and Muslim rioters torched a tram, with at least one instigator shouting “Cancer Jews,” proving that the prior attacks targeted Jews, not Israelis or soccer “hooligans.” The Netherlands is home to nearly 1 million Muslims, largely the result of the Dutch colonial past.
Belgium: ‘Hunting for Jews’
Anti-Israel activists took to social media to call for a “Jew hunt” in the Jewish quarter of Antwerp, Belgium, following the Amsterdam violence. Police increased patrols. Attacks on Belgian Jews mirror assaults around the world. A few weeks earlier, assailants filmed themselves attacking a 14-year-old Orthodox boy: “They wrestled him to the ground, sat on him and stomped on his skull.” Belgian Rep. Michael Freilich called for soldiers to patrol the streets. He mentioned that at a recent anti-Israel demonstration, there was a shout of: “Allah, burn the Jews.”
In London, two residents in a Facebook group used an anti-Jewish slur coined by the Ku Klux Klan to incite violence at Queen Mary University: “Can’t wait to give them the welcome they deserve,” stated Abdul Rahman. Keira Peters responded, “Amsterdam style.” Also in the British capital, a Jewish woman was rendered unconscious by kicks in the head from two teenage girls who laughed over her body: “She’s dead!”
Paris is another soccer focal point. The day before the Amsterdam attacks, fans of a Qatar-owned Paris soccer team unfurled a massive “Free Palestine” banner that erased Israel and glorified violence. France is deploying 4,000 security officers for the Israeli men’s national team’s upcoming soccer match. Israeli national and local soccer and basketball teams have been playing their European competition “home” games in Budapest, Hungary and Belgrade, Serbia—European cities considered to be safer for Israeli teams.
America: Attacks leading up to Kristallnacht anniversary
A man wearing a balaclava recently attempted to kidnap a 6-year-old Jewish boy straight out of his father’s hand while walking down the street in broad daylight in Brooklyn, N.Y. Days later, a man driving his moped with a woman holding a young child behind him knocked a kippah off of the head of a Jewish man who was crossing the street on Staten Island, N.Y. Los Angeles police are investigating a hate crime following the vandalism of Jewish-owned businesses. On the same night as the Kristallnacht anniversary, a kosher restaurant in Washington, D.C., had its windows shattered, causing $12,000 in damages.
Points to consider:
- The Amsterdam attacks were premeditated and coordinated.
The assaults on Jewish soccer fans were planned in advance, with groups using social media to organize their movements and tactics, making the incidents deliberate, not impulsive. This distinction is crucial. Planned violence reflects the intent to target and harm, underscoring the severity and organized nature of antisemitic hate crimes. The coordination illustrates a disturbing level of commitment to causing fear and harm to the Jewish community. The existence of Israel strengthens the ability of Jews to stand up to hatred that was not possible during the Holocaust or intensifying attacks across Europe in the 1930s. From Amsterdam to London, and New York City to Washington, D.C., these are increasingly perilous times for Jews and too reminiscent of horrors from centuries of history past.
- Antisemitism is the oldest hatred.
Antisemitism has endured for thousands of years, morphing into religious, cultural and political disguises to fit each era. While justifications change, the underlying hostility remains: targeting Jews for simply existing. This ancient hatred fueled the Crusades, the Inquisition, Russian pogroms, the Holocaust and the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Now, anti-Jewish sentiment is often masked as opposition to Israel, yet it relies on the same harmful stereotypes from past generations. Acknowledging this deep-rooted, insidious form of hate is critical for combating it.
- Israel is used as an excuse to target Jews.
The Jewish state is consistently used to justify targeting Jewish communities worldwide. Under the guise of opposing Israeli policies, hate speech often leads to anti-Israel activists engaging in antisemitic acts, from violent assaults to vandalism. Recent attacks in Amsterdam highlight this disturbing trend, where hostility towards Israel excuses harm to Jews. Antisemitism existed for centuries before Israel was even a modern-day nation, proving that Israel is just an excuse. As a Dutch Moroccan stated: “We have no problem with the Jews, it’s with Israelis. I am glad we taught you a lesson.” Masked as political expression, rhetoric fuels prejudice, inciting hostility and isolating Jewish communities. Antisemitism in all forms must be condemned.
- Normalization of hatred encourages violence.
Chants to “Globalize the intifada” have echoed through pro-Hamas demonstrations across America and around the world since the Oct. 7 massacre. Excusing violence against any group deepens divides and normalizes hate, setting the stage for escalation. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called the attacks a “false claim” and the Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine chapter promoted the false narrative that the Amsterdam assaults were not antisemitic. When attacks against Jews are brushed off or rationalized, it sends a clear message that certain biases are acceptable, even permissible.
- When pro-Hamas activists call for violence, Jews do not respond with attacks.
When anti-Zionist groups burn American and Israeli flags and chant for Israel’s destruction, Jewish communities do not respond with violence. Supporters of Israel usually wave American and Israeli flags, sing and promote peace. This clear difference between their approaches is evident not only in America but around the world. While one side may resort to violence, pro-Israel advocates demonstrate a commitment to peace, respect and unity, setting a powerful example for coexistence.
