In November 1938, the world witnessed the beginning of the Holocaust with Kristallnacht, a horrific pogrom of extreme violence against Jews. Last night, 86 years after that horrific event, Amsterdam experienced another pogrom that felt like history repeating itself.
The shocking scenes from Amsterdam – a coordinated and planned attack against Israeli soccer fans – should not only send shockwaves through Europe but serve as a painful reminder of Europe's and the world's long, unresolved struggle with rising antisemitism.
The brutal attack, led by Islamic extremists targeting Jewish people in the streets, differs in many ways from Kristallnacht. Today, Jews have a strong state of their own, there are authorities to manage such incidents, and the scale of violence is different. We no longer need to wait for the world to act and rescue us – we can and do act ourselves.
Still, the horrifying situation faced by fans who simply wanted to watch a soccer match drew chilling parallels to Kristallnacht, proving that we are witnessing the ideological heirs of the Nazis today – Islamic extremists operating with similar hatred and violence, seeking to spill Jewish blood.
"I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too," Anne Frank wrote weeks before she was discovered in hiding with her family. What we witnessed in Amsterdam was not random; it was part of a larger, premeditated campaign of intimidation and hatred directed at Jews, and represents the peak of global antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023.
The world must understand: that Jews have lost their sense of personal security. Throughout history, there have been many instances where Jews were forced to leave countries where they felt less secure, and now they are asking themselves the same question: how safe are we in Europe? If law enforcement authorities do not proactively tackle antisemitism, violence, and terrorism with a firm hand, Jews will leave and return to Israel, leaving Europe to face alone the extremism that is reaching new heights and will no longer target only Jews.
The question isn't just about the safety of Jewish communities; it's about Europe's ability or willingness to confront the growing extremism within its borders. For years, authorities were late to recognize the dangerous rise of radical Islam, and even when they did, efforts to curb it were often insufficiently effective.
From anti-Israel demonstrations turning violent to acts of vandalism and physical attacks on anyone and anything they view as enemies, Europe has repeatedly hesitated to repel hate speech and violent extremism in ways that would effectively protect both its Jewish population and the general public.
To prevent another catastrophe, Europe must confront reality and acknowledge that it has become a haven for extremist ideologies seeking to destroy Jewish life, as well as core aspects of European life. This is not a problem that can be minimized or ignored. The rise of violent antisemitism is not just a Jewish issue; it's a European issue, threatening the foundations of European freedom, democracy, and civil rights.
The time to act is now. Europe must begin taking concrete steps to ensure the safety of its Jewish citizens by addressing sources of radicalization, cracking down on violent hate groups, and ending tolerance for antisemitism in any form.
Jews should not fear for their lives simply because of who they are, and Europe must make clear it will not tolerate hatred in its streets for even a moment. The lessons of history are clear: hatred, once allowed to exist and grow, can easily spill over into violence and terror.
Europe must act before it's too late, and Jews need to know their security will no longer be subject to political convenience or denial. If Europe fails to act decisively, it will be left to deal with the consequences of its inaction, just as it did after the horrors of the Holocaust.
Sacha Roytman-Dratwa is the CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).
