Last night, we witnessed an event straight out of the 1940s — an event that proved a culture of hatred for Jewish people is spreading across the world. For those of you fortunate enough to have never heard the word being used for this event, a “pogrom” is a Russian word meaning, “to wreak havoc.” It historically refers to violent attacks on Jewish populations in Russia and across Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century. One of the largest pogroms in history was Kristallnacht, “the Night of the Broken Glass” which occurred in Germany on Nov 9th, 1938 — ironically, or perhaps intentionally, almost 86 years ago to the day.
The pogrom which occurred last night in Amsterdam was an organized and pre-orchestrated event against Israeli soccer fans after a game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax. After the game, mobs crisscrossed the city searching for Jews; according to Dutch authorities, they were “riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people.” In footage taken by the attackers (an action frighteningly reminiscent of Oct. 7), fans were seen being beaten, chased with knives, and running from vehicles attempting to hit them. Eyewitnesses said “that they had seen attempted stabbings, people thrown in a river, with extremists beating and spitting on Israelis.” In one video circulating social media, a man is recorded desperately crying that he isn’t Jewish to avoid being harmed. Dutch police are investigating reports “that Amsterdam taxi drivers played a major role…using ride apps to track down their victims.” Amsterdam’s public prosecutor told reporters that “some 20 to 30 people suffered light injuries… At least 62 suspects were arrested, with 10 still in custody.” The mayor called the violence “an eruption of antisemitism that we had hoped never again to see in Amsterdam.”
After these events, the National Security Council issued a warning to Israelis and Jews in the Netherlands, “Avoid movements in the street and lock yourself in hotel rooms. The externalization of Israeli and Jewish symbols must be avoided.” It is especially concerning that Jews are being told to hide in the very city where Anne Frank had to hide for being Jewish.
However, there is one key difference between the world of 2024 and the world of the 1940s: Israel. For those who do not understand why the existence of Israel is critically important to Jews across the world, last night made this point crystal clear, as Israel immediately took action. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent planes to evacuate civilians, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar instantly headed to the Dutch capital and an IDF rescue mission was planned when it seemed some of the victims were missing. When everyone was able to be contacted, it was decided that it was safe enough to simply aid citizens in getting on flights home.
80 years ago, the Netherlands had the highest number of Holocaust victims in Western Europe, with three-fourths of Dutch Jews killed. These Jews were used to antisemitism and calls for Jewish violence in Europe, but when they realized these words would become actions, it was too late and fleeing from Europe was nearly impossible. For instance, a valid passport was a requirement to immigrate to the United States, but Germany stripped all German Jews of their citizenship, and thus valid passports. Last night, many Jews had their passports stolen by their attackers and Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority instantly announced they would help those who didn’t have their passports get home, allowing them to board flights using transit documents or photocopies. Last night made it very clear that should Jews ever need to flee Europe again, Israel would make it happen. Israel would get the Jewish people to safety.
This event also makes another thing abundantly clear: calls for violence actually do incite violence — who would have thought? Those who continue to call for Israel’s destruction, or to “globalize the intifada” (which was chanted here at Cornell last year), are not disagreeing with a government, they are calling for the harm of a minority group, and for the loss of the only nation in the world which will actually keep Jews safe.
This morning on Sidechat there was a post from The Ivy League stating, “Seeing what happened in Amsterdam last night I regret supporting protests against Israel. I am sorry.” In the comments, someone replied, “This is making me think about what the things we were saying meant. WHAT THE F*CK.”
On the subject of spreading hate, this event shows the path our world is heading down as hate continues to spread. These fans were at a soccer match, a sport which is a critical piece of the culture of both the Netherlands and Israel. This should have been a unifying event, with the two countries sharing a love and coming together for the same sport. Instead, this event spread nothing but fear and shared only the hate that people hold for other groups. After everything that has occurred this year, from Oct. 7 to the many antisemitic events across the world, it is clear that this event is not the end. This is a warning call that this is only the beginning, that words of hate are turning into actions of hate. And we have all seen, both in Amsterdam and throughout the world, where that has led in the past. We cannot let this persecution of Jewish people continue, and we cannot continue doubting the importance of the state of Israel.
The next game scheduled for Israel’s national team is in France on November 14th. The French Interior Minister said that the match will go on as planned: “I think that for a symbolic reason we must not yield, we must not give up.” We can only hope that peace will prevail in the future.
Jenna Ledley is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].