Response to Antisemitic Violence in Amsterdam

The Florida Holocaust Museum is outraged by the abhorrent antisemitic violence in Amsterdam on Israeli soccer fans early this morning.

Let us be clear: these morally reprehensible acts – provoking anti-Jewish chants, being pelted with fireworks, riots and mobs, verbal and physical abuse – are the ingredients of bigotry. It is anti-Jewish animosity that often stems from a place of age-old ignorance and intolerance.

This incident occurred on the eve of Kristallnacht – the first widespread, organized use of massive force against Jews by the Nazis – which presaged the Holocaust. Eighty-six years ago, Jewish people were beaten in the streets of Europe by an organized mob. Today, we see the same repulsive behavior exhibited in one of the same cities where Nazis roamed and murdered.

The world failed the Jews then, on October 7, 2023, now, and too many times in between. “Never Again” feels more like “Not Yet.”

Days like Kristallnacht, and today, remind us that our fight for existence and respect is not yet over. Antisemitism can be countered by education and action. We must continue to ask if we, the world, will step up today in a different way than we did in the past.

We cannot afford to continue down this path. It takes every one of us, Jewish and non-Jewish, to recognize and take a stand against senseless antisemitism. History shows that a society that opens its doors to antisemitism also allows other forms of bigotry to thrive. We owe it to Holocaust Survivors, victims, their families, future generations, and ourselves to act to stop it now.