Dutch gov’t to appoint national coordinator on tackling antisemitism

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Dutch gov’t to appoint national coordinator on tackling antisemitism

December 19th, 2020

Awake Goy

The Dutch state parliament will appoint a national coordinator to fight antisemitism in the EU and a number of other countries, and to strengthen the official approach towards dealing with threats, discrimination and intimidation, Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus said on Sunday.

The appointment comes after a worrying rise in antisemitic incidents in the country, which was most recently personified by swastikas found spray-painted onto the doors of two synagogue and one mosque in the city of Utrecht last weekend.

The main mission of the new national coordinator will be to advise the government on dealing with antisemitism from a legal standpoint and on ensuring the security of the Jewish community in the Netherlands.

The move was welcomed by leaders of leading Jewish communities and organizations in the Netherlands and Europe.

The chairman of the Dutch Communities Association IPOR and a member of the board of the European Jewish Association (EJA) Ellen van Praagh noted following the announcement of the expected appointment that “only this weekend were both my synagogue and the liberal synagogue in Utrecht vandalized with swastika graffiti. Although in this case it appears to have had more to do with the man’s mental health problems, it is quite clear to us that the coronavirus pandemic has brought out the worst among some people and led to a worrying increase in antisemitic incidents.”

“The fact that the government has decided to go in and deal with the basic reasons for this is welcome, as is its commitment to preserving Jewish communities and institutions in the Netherlands and we at IPOR look forward to working closely with the National Coordinator to do so,” van Praagh said.

Holland’s Chief Rabbi Benjamin Jacobs, one of the founders of the European Rabbinical Center (RCE), whose contacts with the Dutch government directly influenced the decision on the expected appointment, said that “the government’s decision to appoint a national coordinator to deal with antisemitism indicates the plight facing Dutch Jews. Although we welcome such an appointment, we still do so with a heavy heart.”

“Who would have believed that such a role would be necessary in a country like the Netherlands, whose very name is related to tolerance,” Rabbi Jacobs said. “Nevertheless, as the attacks intensify, the new national coordinator is expected to receive full cooperation from Dutch Jews who want nothing more than to live in peace and maintain their longevity unhindered,” Jacobs said.

“As part of our European antisemitism program, the EJA has called on every European country to appoint such a coordinator and many have responded to our call and done just that,” said EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin. “Therefore, we applaud the government of the Netherlands – the last country to take this step.”

“The Netherlands is now joining a growing list of European countries with a national coordinator to combat antisemitism whose role is to eradicate the virus of antisemitism that has grown in parallel with the coronavirus. Too many Jewish communities across Europe were forced to shout and call for help,” Rabbi Margolin added.

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