Hunting Jews in broad daylight: Europe’s new reality

Daniel Levy, a lifelong resident of Amsterdam, says ‘What we’re facing is far more than harassment—it’s a full-blown pogrom.’

By Linda Sadacka, Exclusive to World Israel News

Amsterdam, a city that once symbolized tolerance and freedom, is now a battleground where Jews are hunted in the streets, targeted by violent mobs, and abandoned by their own government. Let’s call this what it is: a pogrom. The Jewish community is under siege, and the world is silent. This isn’t just neglect—it’s complicity.

At Paradiso, one of Amsterdam’s most iconic concert venues, the depths of antisemitism were on full display. On November 12, 2024, a performer praised the so-called “#Jodenjacht”—a reference to the violent targeting of Jews—while the audience responded with enthusiastic applause. A room filled with cheers for a modern-day “Jew hunt.” This chilling moment encapsulates the normalization of antisemitic violence in Europe and signals the breakdown of any pretense of safety for Jews in Amsterdam.

Daniel Levy, a lifelong resident of Amsterdam, doesn’t mince words. “What we’re facing is far more than harassment—it’s a full-blown pogrom,” he says. “Fireworks were strategically exploded near hotels and Airbnbs known to host Jewish and Israeli visitors. Groups of Moroccan Muslims roamed the streets, stopping anyone they believed to be Jewish or Israeli, demanding identification.”

This isn’t random chaos. This is organized, targeted violence. Cab drivers exposed Jewish tourists’ locations online, making it easy for mobs to attack them. Some Israelis were driven far from their destinations and dropped off in dangerous areas, where gangs were lying in wait. Incredibly, attackers even traveled from Germany to join in the mayhem.

Amsterdam, a supposed safe haven, has become a death trap for anyone visibly Jewish.

The Police: Protectors or Enablers?

Where were the police during this pogrom? Busy harassing Jews trying to defend themselves. According to Levy, some officers openly displayed “Free Palestine” stickers, a glaring symbol of their sympathies. This isn’t just negligence; it’s betrayal.

Take the case of Philip Zeitler Prins, a Jewish resident who has endured harassment for over three years. His home has been defaced with Palestinian flags and hateful graffiti, and threats are a regular occurrence. After years of pleading, a police officer finally visited his home—not to protect him, but to inspect the flags. Despite clear evidence of harassment, law enforcement refused to take action, citing a lack of “definitive proof.” They wouldn’t even question the neighbors.

Zeitler Prins recorded the entire interaction, exposing the police’s cowardice. This isn’t law enforcement; it’s law abandonment.

Politicians Fueling the Fire

The failure isn’t limited to the police—it goes all the way to the top. Amsterdam’s political leaders are not just passive; they’re active participants in this crisis. GreenLeft council members openly chant slogans like “From the river to the sea,” a call for Israel’s destruction. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations, supposedly banned, continue with full permission from city officials.

The message is clear: Amsterdam’s leadership will protect hate speech over human lives.

Silence Is Complicity

Where are Amsterdam’s non-Jewish residents? Silent. And that silence speaks volumes. Instead of standing with their Jewish neighbors, many align with the pro-Palestinian narrative, even when it devolves into outright antisemitism. The city is now plastered with pro-Hamas banners and graffiti calling for intifada.

“If a Jewish resident tears down a Palestinian flag, it’s seen as provocative,” Levy explains. “But these hate symbols are defended as free speech, while the very real danger we face every day is ignored.”

This isn’t ignorance. This is willful blindness.

Fighting Back: Betar Leads the Charge

While Amsterdam’s leaders fail, others are stepping up. Ron Torossian, Chairman of Betar USA, is leading the charge to protect Jewish communities. “Betar is built on the principles of Ze’ev Jabotinsky: fight or flee in the face of oppression. We choose to fight,” Torossian declares.

Betar is organizing rallies, building alliances, and mobilizing communities across Europe to counter antisemitism head-on. “We’re not just reacting; we’re creating a sustained movement of Jewish pride and resilience,” Torossian says. “We refuse to back down.”

Time for Real Action

Here’s the hard truth: Antisemitism is no longer simmering beneath the surface—it’s boiling over. Amsterdam is a litmus test for Europe’s future, and right now, it’s failing.

Steven Spielberg and Adam Sandler, both celebrated figures who have capitalized on their Jewish identity in their work—Spielberg through documenting the Holocaust in Schindler’s List and Sandler through his public celebration of Jewish pride—remain conspicuously silent in the face of the growing crisis facing Jews in Amsterdam and beyond. Their silence is particularly glaring given their influence and platforms, which could bring much-needed attention to the dire threat of Islamic antisemitism and government apathy. Betar, a global Zionist organization, is holding rallies in front of their homes to call on them to break their silence and stand in solidarity with the Jewish communities under siege. As Ze’ev Jabotinsky once said, ‘Silence is despicable,’ and in times like these, silence from prominent Jewish figures is not just disappointing—it’s dangerous.

Europe’s Jews are standing at a precipice, and the international community must decide: Will you watch another Holocaust unfold, or will you act now? The choice is stark and unforgiving. Antisemitism isn’t freedom of speech. It’s not a political opinion. It’s hatred, plain and simple—and hatred, when left unchecked, metastasizes into violence.

If the world allows Amsterdam to become a breeding ground for pogroms, the question won’t be if it spreads but when. This is not just a Jewish issue. This is a human issue.

To every leader, influencer, and policymaker: the time for neutrality has passed. If you refuse to speak up, history will remember your silence as complicity. In the words of Ze’ev Jabotinsky: “Silence is despicable.” Stand with the Jewish people, or stand on the wrong side of history.

We will not apologize. We will not retreat. And we will not forget who stood with us—and who didn’t.