Last week, 3,000 Israelis went to Amsterdam to watch their team Maccabi Tel Aviv play a soccer match and at its conclusion they were attacked by dozens of Pro-Palestinian hooligans, both outside the stadium and throughout the city. It appears that this was a planned attack, not a skirmish of two over-enthusiastic teams’ fans. As President Herzog said, “We woke up this morning to shocking images and videos that since October 7, 2023 we had hoped to never see again: an anti-Semitic pogrom; the attacks are a warning sign to any that wishes to uphold the values of freedom.”
Ten Israelis were injured and initially three Israelis were missing. However by Friday all of the Israeli fans were accounted for.
The Israelis experienced terrifying acts of violence including beatings, harassment, and some attackers attempted to run over them with their cars, and they were followed to their hotels. Prime Minister Netanyahu first summoned two military planes to bring the Israeli citizens home. He sent two government representatives to present the Israel government response and told Dutch authorities they were obligated to protect and give safe passage to the Israeli citizens.
The word pogrom means attack and happened to Jewish people in Russia and Ukraine in their past history. Unfortunately, it happened again November 7, 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Interestingly, it was two days from the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, perpetrated by the Nazis, which occurred November 9, 1938. An example of why anti-Semitism is called “the hate that wouldn’t die.”
(Source: The Times of Israel)
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