A museum in Amsterdam now commemorates the persecution of Dutch Jews. Israel’s President Herzog was also present at the opening. There were protests nearby against Israel’s attacks in Gaza.
Accompanied by protests against Israel’s attacks in the Gaza Strip, the new National Holocaust Museum opened in Amsterdam. High-ranking state officials, including Israeli President Izchak Herzog, warned at the ceremony of growing anti-Semitism.
“Anti-Semitism and hatred are flourishing again worldwide,” complained Herzog. He called for people to fight against it. “Never Again begins now.” Herzog also called for prayers for the Jewish hostages and peace taken by the militant Islamist Hamas on October 7th.
The Dutch King Willem-Alexander called for action against anti-Semitism. “Toxic words and actions can lead to a deadly dynamic.”
Several Protest actions in the city
Near the celebration in the “Portuguese Synagogue”, several thousand people demonstrated against Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian civilian population and against Herzog’s visit. In chants they accused Israel of mass murder. There were protests in several places in the city. There were also occasional clashes with the police during the demonstration.
A Jewish and anti-Zionist organization from the Netherlands, which organized the protest together with the Dutch Palestinian Community and the Socialist International, said: While it remembers the victims of the Holocaust, it cannot stand by and allow the war to continue in the Gaza Strip.
Schwesig represents the German side
The President of the Bundesrat, Manuela Schwesig, who took part in the opening from the German side, said: “We have to fight back against the beginnings, together, everywhere in Europe.” The current demonstrations in Germany against hatred, violence and right-wing extremism showed: “There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society.” The Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania represented the Federal President at the celebration.
Schwesig also referred to the Oct. 7 attack by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel that left 1,200 dead. It is shocking that Jews have once again become victims of hatred, violence and murder. The presence of the Israeli President at the opening was a special gesture.
However, critics pointed to Herzog’s controversial statements about the Middle East war. They were also cited as problematic by the International Court of Justice in the genocide case against Israel. In January, the UN’s highest court ordered Israel to do everything it could to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Photos, films and installations
The Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam commemorates the history of the persecution of Dutch Jews. With objects, photos, films and installations, the museum tells the story of the systematic persecution that led to mass murder. One room is wallpapered from top to bottom with racial laws and regulations regarding the exclusion of Jews. Some people’s personal objects can also be seen in showcases. Such as a powder compact, a child’s dress, a painter’s brush holder.
The museum is located in the place in Amsterdam where part of the persecution itself took place and most of the Jews were deported to the camps. But there was also a crèche there from which around 600 children were rescued.
During the Second World War, around 102,000 Jewish Dutch people were murdered by German National Socialists, around three quarters of the Jewish population – proportionately more than from any other European country.