Antisemitism in Amsterdam: Letters to the Editor Nov. 12, 2024
The recent ambush of Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam is appalling and has no place in any civilized society (“A Pogrom in Amsterdam,” Editorial, Nov.9).What is particularly troubling is the glaring disparity in how these events are reported and condemned.Had the situation been reversed — had Jews attacked Muslims — the global response would undoubtedly have been swift and loud.
The hypocrisy is disheartening.Antisemitic acts far too often receive muted responses, reinforcing the idea that Jewish lives are somehow less deserving of protection and justice.This double standard is unacceptable.Governments, global institutions and media organizations must do better.
Richard WolffNew RochellePoliticians who wailed about the modern-day Hitler being elected president suddenly became very quiet about the antisemitic barbarism in Amsterdam.Might this kind of staggering hypocrisy have contributed to a recent electoral outcome?It seems you can’t fool all of the deplorables all of the time.Julia LutchDavis, Calif.Can anyone be truly shocked by Thursday’s debacle in Amsterdam — the antisemitic riot that a leading Dutch national politician described as a modern-day “Jew hunt”?Does this pogrom not underscore the disaster Holland has brought upon itself with its policy of laying out a welcome mat to many thousands of radical, Jew-hating, Middle Eastern immigrants?And all of this from a nation that holds the most dubious of records with regards to its pre-World War II Jewish population.During the war, the Netherlands willingly cooperated with the Nazis in rounding up over 107,000 Jews, with only some 5,000 surviving the Nazi death camps.It is evident that should the Netherlands not take bold and heretofore unprecedented action, it will have learned nothing from history.Mitchell SchwefelBarnegat, NJThe violence against Jews in Amsterdam is not only shocking and disconcerting, but reminded me of a visit my wife and I made to the Netherlands in 2022.I visited th...