Chief Rabbi of The Netherlands Binyomin Jacobs denounced what he called ‘’camouflage antisemitism.’’ ‘’Criticism towards Israel is allowed, of course, particularly that half of Israelis are criticizing their own leaders. However, one has to realize that often behind such criticism there is often a dangerous underlying antisemitism,’’ he said.
THE HAGUE—Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Ferdinand Grapperhaus warned against visible expressions of antisemitism in The Netherlands, as he addressed a yearly memorial commemorating the first round-up of Jews in the country by the Nazis in 1941.
The memorial took place in the city of in Enschede where on 13/14 September 1941 105 Jewish young men were brutally collected from their homes by the Nazis and never returned.
The minister was very moved by the historic event that occurred in the beginning of the Shoah period, as this was an unknown segment of Dutch history for him, all the more so because he himself has visited Enschede often, since his grandparents came from the area. He was clearly able to line the past with the present.
Addressing the commemoration, Chief Rabbi of The Netherlands Binyomin Jacobs denounced what he called ‘’camouflage antisemitism.’’ ‘’Criticism towards Israel is allowed, of course, particularly that half of Israelis are criticizing their own leaders. However, one has to realize that often behind such criticism there is often a dangerous underlying antisemitism,’’ he said.
The Chief Rabbi strongly condemned in this context demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy in The Hague planned on the 28th of September. “The demonstration is officially directed against Israel’s policies but the organization involved is clearly using anti-Zionism as a camouflage for antisemitism”, he said.
In the meantime, the demonstration has been cancelled.