Amsterdam and Jewish Perfection as the Price for Safety

In the aftermath of recent events in Amsterdam, the world has once again been reminded that violent antisemitism is not only alive but thriving.  This antisemitism hides, just beneath the surface under a cloak of excuses. The response to attacks on Jewish individuals during and after a football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv—are emblematic of a dangerous fantasy that has taken root in today’s society: the idea that if only Jews were somehow more perfect, these attacks wouldn’t happen.

This fantasy imposes a condition that Jews must consistently prove their innocence or compliance to avoid persecution. But, perfection would not be enough. In Amsterdam, Israelis were beaten, thrown into rivers, and hospitalized—not for actions they took but simply for being Jewish. This was not an isolated local tragedy, but a reflection of a global trend.

Jews in Amsterdam were met with a grotesque mix of physical violence, hateful rhetoric, and mob fervor. Imagine if Jewish communities responded to slurs hurled upon them with the same level of violence experienced in Amsterdam. What would the world look like if every chant of “Globalize the Intifada” or “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution” were met with physical retaliation? If every attack on Jewish identity—a stolen hanukkiah tossed into Oakland’s Lake Merritt or the attempted abduction in broad daylight of a Jewish boy in Brooklyn—were answered in kind? Instead, Jewish communities overwhelmingly choose to confront hatred not with violence, but with calls for justice, dialogue, and education.

Jewish restraint has done little to shield the community. In Amsterdam, the violence continued after Israeli fans had departed, making clear the attacks were not about political grievances or sports rivalries—they were about Jews being Jews. Terms like “Zionist” or “Israeli” are used to obscure the fact that Jews are human beings deserving of safety.

The fantasy of Jewish perfection places the burden on the victim. If only Jews were quieter. If only they didn’t speak up about antisemitism. If only they didn’t visibly practice their faith or advocate for themselves. If only Jews were never prejudiced or racist, maybe then, society seems to suggest, the violence would stop.

But history tells us otherwise. The pogroms of Eastern Europe. The Holocaust. The ethnic cleansing of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa. The massacre on October 7, 2023 in Israel. Attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools in France. The Colleyville hostage crisis. The shootings in Pittsburgh, Pico-Robertson, and Poway. The stabbing in Monsey, New York. The brutal mob assaults in Amsterdam. None of these atrocities were sparked by Jewish imperfection. They were sparked by hatred.

This hatred is relentless, manifesting in different eras and places but always targeting the same group. Whether through systemic pogroms, state-sanctioned expulsions, or lone attackers, the justification for violence takes on new guises: religion, politics, or ethnicity. Yet, the root cause is always the same—hatred of Jews for simply being Jews.

The pre-planned events in Amsterdam are the latest iteration of this dangerous pattern. Jews were attacked not for what they did, but for existing visibly as Jews in public spaces. This wasn’t about politics or sports; it was hatred thinly veiled by contemporary grievances.

To accept this fantasy, this demand of Jewish perfection, is to enable the conditions that allow these atrocities to persist. It shifts the blame to victims, demanding they conform to impossible standards rather than holding perpetrators accountable. 

Perfection is a myth, and expecting it from any group is a tool of oppression. Violence against Jews doesn’t stem from their actions or inactions. It stems from the hatred of others. Until that hatred is confronted head-on, history will continue to repeat itself.