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2008 Archive

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2005 Archive

Anti-Semitism mainly in Amsterdam

18 August 2006 – Serious anti-Semitism occurs mainly in Amsterdam, a monitor published by the Israel Information and Documentation Centre (CIDI) shows. Initiatives to fight anti-Semitism are also mainly taken in the capital. The explanation, according to researcher Hadassa Hirschfeld, is that a major part of the Dutch Jewish community lives in Amsterdam.

The monitor shows a significant decrease in the number of anti-Semitic incidents, from 327 in 2004 to 159 in 2005. This decrease mainly regards the number of e-mail incidents. Reports of incidents involving violence or threats of violence have not decreased.

During the first months of 2006, the number of incidents has been on the rise again. According to Hirschfeld, this is caused by developments in the Middle East. Experience shows that conflicts between Israel and its neighbours negatively affect the relation between Jews and non-Jews in the Netherlands.

Serious forms of anti-Semitism such as violence and threats of violence mainly occur in Amsterdam. This applies to a far lesser degree to insults and vandalism. Of the 45,000 Jews in the Netherlands, 45% live in Amsterdam, according to the CIDI. In earlier monitors as well, a large part of the reports of anti-Semitism came from Amsterdam, Hirschfeld explains.

Reports of anti-Semitism, Jan 2005 through May 2006 (selection)

Source: CIDI / News from Amsterdam

The monitor distinguishes between anti-Semitism with an extreme right background and anti-Semitism among people of North African descent, which would result mainly from solidarity with the Palestinians and from ignorance regarding Jews.

The share of perpetrators with a North African background has decreased somewhat, from 45% in 2004 to 38% in 2005. This may have been caused by projects that aim to bring Moroccans and Jews together, such as the ‘Majo’ football matches (Majo being short for Marokkaans-Joods, that is, Moroccan-Jewish). Such projects were set up after Moroccan youth disturbed the 2003 commemoration of the victims of the Second World War. The projects are very succesful, according to Hirschfeld.

KEBAB
The CIDI report expresses concern about the Hezbolla television channel Al Manar, because of its anti-Semitic programmes. It has been tried to ban the channel, but it can be received through a satellite that is out of reach of European regulations. Technical developments make it increasingly difficult to ban foreign channels.

Vrij Nederland magazine reported last week that Al Manar can be seen in a kebab stand at the Damstraat. In the same magazine, former general secretary of the journalists’ union NVJ Hans Verploeg said that it should be investigated to what degree Muslim youth watch Al Manar. He wants to carry out such a study in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam.

Hirschfeld says that such a study would be a good idea. In the past it has been studied whether this type of channels are being watched, but the organisation which commissioned the research choose not to publish the results, according to Hirschfeld.

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