By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Hundreds gathered in the center of Amsterdam Thursday to rally against rising antisemitism after the Dutch capital’s first pogrom since World War Two and an attack on pro-Israel group Christenen voor Israel (‘Christians for Israel’).
Many in the crowd had arrived in buses from across the country to express support for Israel and the Jewish people.
The event, titled “We Stand with Our Jews,” was to take place on Dam Square, but Mayor Femke Halsema prohibited it there, citing “difficulties to ensure safety on a busy Thursday shopping evening.”
Instead, the rally, organized by churches and groups such as Christians for Israel and Centraal Joods Overleg (Central Jewish Consultation), was moved to the Stopera, a building complex housing Amsterdam’s city hall and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet.
Several pro-Palestinian activist groups had announced on social media their intention to demonstrate at the rally, and police removed several.
“Tragically, we can’t rally at the Dam Square, which is in the center of Amsterdam near the National Monument for those killed in World War Two, most of them Jews,” said Christians for Israel Director Frank van Oordt in an interview.
He said it underscored the tensions in society after the Israëlcentrum (Israel Center) of his organization was attacked this week in the Dutch town of Nijkerk.
GRAFFITI PAINT
“Activists of the groups Extinction Rebellion, Justice Now and the Christen Collectief (Christian Collective) covered the building from left to right with graffiti paint,” recalled Van Oordt.
“They accused us of looking away from what is happening in Gaza and that we support Israel. It was shocking for me to see that ‘Christians’ participated in the attack on our building. They are members of the Christian Collective that is publicly speaking against Israel,” he said.
It wasn’t the first time that the Israel Center of Christians for Israel was attacked, and it shows that the pressure increases, Van Oordt noticed.
“However, I would not compare it with the pressure felt by the Jewish people of the Netherlands, especially after the recent pogrom in Amsterdam. If you see how the schools need protection,” Van Oordt added.
He referred to the “November 7 pogrom” when mainly Moroccan Muslims launched what they called a “Jews-hunt” in Amsterdam. The violence emerged after a soccer match between Amsterdam’s Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv teams.
Several Muslim representatives accused the Israeli soccer fans of provoking the anti-Jewish attacks by removing a Palestinian flag and shouting anti-Arab slogans. However, Halsema said that wrongdoing by hardcore soccer fans did not justify “the pogrom” that followed.
However, soon after the “horrific events,” Jews were accused, complained Van Oordt. “We want to say we are standing next to our Jews. The Jews in the Netherlands are shocked about the hate towards them. After the October 7, 2023, [massacre by Hamas], Israël became isolated as well. And we want to stand up and stand with the Jews and Israël.”
NETHERLANDS SAFE
He had a similar message Thursday during the rally, which was also attended by prominent Dutch Jewish singer Lenny Kuhr, who said she welcomed the visitors “in these historically antisemitic times.”
Kuhr, whose concert was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters this year, was disappointed about the location of Thursday’s rally.
“It could not be held at the Dam Square because Amsterdam has not been safe for Jews or those who look like Jews for a long time,” Kuhr noticed. “Where in the Netherlands are Jews still safe?” she asked herself.
“The beast is loose and is raging worldwide,” Kuhr warned.
That became clear later at night: At Amsterdam’s Central Station, Jews and their supporters were advised “not to show an Israeli flag” and, if possible, “to take off any yarmulkes” and, above all, “not to speak Hebrew.”
Similar advice was given to Dutch Jews in Amsterdam during the 1930s and 1940s. Most of them, some 104,000 in total, did not survive the Holocaust or Shoah.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia and the United States edged closer to confrontation after U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, prompting sharp protests from Moscow and assertive statements from senior U.S. officials. Russian state broadcaster RT released grainy images showing a helicopter approaching the tanker, while Reuters, citing U.S. officials, confirmed that American forces boarded and seized the vessel under a U.S. court warrant linked to sanctions enforcement. The tanker, identified as the Marinera (also known as Bella 1), had been traveling from Iran toward Venezuela … Read more
At least 11 Christians were killed and 18 others seriously wounded when a drone operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) struck civilians traveling to Christmas celebrations in South Kordofan state on Dec. 25, according to local sources.
A Christian pastor was seriously injured after being attacked by a group of Muslim assailants wielding sharp objects in eastern Uganda, according to an exclusive report by Morning Star News.
Iranian security forces confronted large demonstrations at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on Tuesday with tear gas and a heavy police presence, as nationwide protests entered a second week and the country’s currency plunged to a historic low.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a closed briefing Monday that recent White House rhetoric about Greenland does not signal an imminent U.S. invasion, emphasizing instead that the administration’s preferred goal is to purchase the island from Denmark, according to people familiar with the discussion.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday that a federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital has led to dramatic reductions in violent crime, crediting the effort to President Donald Trump’s public safety initiative.
Israel, Syria and the United States have agreed to establish a new “joint fusion mechanism” aimed at enhancing security coordination, intelligence sharing and military de-escalation, marking the most significant formal cooperation between Jerusalem and Damascus in decades.