Arisierung’s Echo: Support Israel Today

When History Echoes: Arisierung Then and Today’s Challenges for Pro-Israel Voices

Before the Second World War, Jewish-owned businesses in Germany and later in Nazi-occupied Europe, were systematically pushed out of the economy. This process became known as “Aryanization” (Arisierung), in which Jews were deprived of their property, livelihoods, and ultimately their very right to exist within society.

The steps the Nazis took were chillingly methodical:

1. Legal and Professional Exclusion

The Nuremberg Laws (1935) stripped Jews of civil rights and increasingly restricted their professional opportunities.

Jews were banned from holding government jobs, and later prohibited from working as lawyers, doctors, teachers, notaries, or journalists.

Membership in professional organizations was forbidden, effectively making it impossible for Jewish professionals and business owners to function legally.

2. Economic Boycotts and State Pressure

On April 1, 1933, the Nazis launched a nationwide boycott of Jewish shops, doctors, and lawyers. SA men stood outside stores to intimidate customers.

Banks cut credit lines, and Jewish businesses lost access to suppliers.

Customers were pressured, even threatened, not to buy from Jews.

3. Forced “Aryanization”

From 1937 onward, Jews were forced to sell their businesses.

The sales were not fair, transactions companies were handed over at far below market value to “Aryan” Germans backed by the state.

Refusal to comply brought arrests, taxes, and brutal intimidation.

After the Kristallnacht pogrom (9–10 November 1938), the process accelerated: almost all Jewish businesses were confiscated or “Aryanized.”

4. Complete Exclusion

By 1939, virtually no Jewish businesses remained.

Jews were confined to separate economic activities, often only trading within their own shrinking communities.

As deportations began, their assets were completely seized.

In reality, Aryanization was nothing but organized theft, cloaked under a legal façade.

The Lesson for Today

It is disturbing how echoes of the 1930s can be felt again. Of course, the situation is different in form and context, but there is a dangerous pattern: Jewish organizations, pro-Israel voices, and individuals speaking truth are increasingly singled out, questioned, or labeled as “controversial.”

Since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, antisemitism worldwide has exploded. Pro-Israel groups are being treated with suspicion, while anti-Israel demonstrations are often tolerated under the banner of “freedom of speech.” This is the world turned upside down.

My own foundation, Time To Stand Up For Israel (TTSUFI), officially registered in 2023, has faced this reality firsthand. Our statutes are clear:

Fighting antisemitism.

Promoting truth about Israel.

Raising awareness about Israel’s real history and situation.

So far, we have operated online, except for one event in Amsterdam in April 2025. We have no funding yet and no large-scale activities. Yet despite our modest presence, the municipality where I, as chairwoman, live decided to reach out with inquiries from a civil servant whose task is to “monitor extremism and social unrest.”

Let that sink in. A small pro-Israel foundation—working against hate and misinformation—is being observed under the same lens as extremism. This is not only disproportionate but dangerous. It hints at a chilling development: instead of confronting the real threat—Islamist extremism and growing Jew-hatred—authorities risk sliding into suspicion against the very people trying to defend truth and democracy.

This is why I say: we cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the 1930s.

The Concerning Email Exchange 

Below is the actual correspondence, it shows in raw form how such communication unfolds, it looks innocent but if you see the department where this person works you know better:

To The organization Time to Stand Up for Israel (TTSUFI),My name is Roy  and I work as a network coordinator for extremism and social unrest at the municipality of xxxx(city). In this role, I connect various social parties, residents, and organizations with the aim of strengthening one another and working together toward a safe and resilient society.Recently, I came across your organization and saw that you are based in my city. I was impressed by your commitment to spreading your message, organizing activities, and engaging in cooperation. I find it important in my work to have a clear view of the initiatives and networks active in our city, and I think an introduction with TTSUFI could be valuable in this regard.I would very much like to have a conversation with you to hear more about your mission, activities, and experiences, and to explore whether there are areas where we could complement or reinforce each other. This could take place at your location, at the municipality, or digitally—whatever suits you best.With kind regards, Roy, Network Coordinator for Safety (Extremism & Social Unrest) Department of Safety, Permits and Enforcement Municipality of xxxx (city)

My reply:

Dear Mr. Xxx,

Thank you very much for your message.

The purpose of our organization is to provide correct and reliable information about Israel and all related subjects. With this, we want to counter the ongoing spread of false and harmful information about Israel. We consider it of great importance that readers are fully and accurately informed about all matters relating to Israel.

If you would like to contribute to our mission, you can do so by sharing the information and materials from our website with others, so that more readers can become aware of it. If you have another form of cooperation in mind, we would of course be pleased to hear about it.

For the record, we would like to point out that the place of registration of our organization is not relevant; we aim to reach readers both in the Netherlands and abroad.

We trust that we have informed you sufficiently and look forward to your possible response with interest.

With kind regards, The Board of Time to Stand Up for Israel (TTSUFI)

His reply:

Dear Ms. Sterk,

Thank you for your response. I understand your considerations, although I must honestly say that I regret that you see no room for an introduction. From my role as network coordinator, I attach importance to speaking with representatives of different communities and organizations, especially given the current events in the world and the tensions that can also have local impact.

It may have been a mistaken assumption on my part that TTSUFI also represents a large part of the Israeli community in Zoetermeer. It was from that thought that I approached you. Should there be space or need in the future to discuss this further, I would of course be open to it. For now, I will take your position into account in my feedback to our board.

With kind regards, Roy

My reply:

Dear Mr. Roy,

As indicated in our previous message, our organization is not active in your city but has a national and international reach. Moreover, we believe that a meeting with your office would not further contribute to the objectives of our organization. We wish you much success with your work.

With kind regards, The Board of TTSUFI

And finally, his reply:

Dear Ms. Sterk,

Thank you for your response. I understand your considerations, although I must honestly say that I regret that you see no room for an introduction. From my role as network coordinator, I attach importance to speaking with representatives of different communities and organizations, especially given the current events in the world and the tensions that can also have local impact.

It may have been a mistaken assumption on my part that TTSUFI also represents a large part of the Jewish community in our city, (NB; there is no Jewish community in my city). It was from that thought that I approached you. Should there be space or need in the future to discuss this further, I would of course be open to it. For now, I will take your position into account in my feedback to our board.

With kind regards, Roy, Network Coordinator for Safety (Extremism & Social Unrest) Department of Safety, Permits and Enforcement Municipality of xxxxc (city)

Why This Matters

It may look “harmless,” just an exchange of emails. But the implications are profound. Why should a pro-Israel group be linked, even indirectly, to extremism or unrest? Why are municipalities not monitoring the dozens of radical anti-Israel groups openly calling for the destruction of the Jewish state in our cities?

This is not just about one email, it is about a climate. A climate in which Jews and pro-Israel organizations are once again under suspicion, just as Jewish businesses were once targeted in Germany. Then it started with bans, regulations, and intimidation. Today it begins with labels, insinuations, and bureaucratic “monitoring.”

History does not repeat itself literally, but it rhymes.

Standing Firm Together

The lesson of the 1930s is clear: once the machinery of suspicion and exclusion begins rolling, it rarely stops by itself. That is why all pro-Israel organizations, despite any internal differences, must stand united. Israel is the frontline in the global struggle against antisemitism, jihadism, and historical revisionism.

Our task is not only to defend Israel but to defend truth. As Jews were once stripped of their voices, livelihoods, and dignity, today pro-Israel organizations are at risk of being silenced by delegitimization.

We must make sure this never happens again.

To governments and municipalities, I say: monitor the real threats—terror supporters, radical preachers, and those who glorify violence. Not the people defending Israel, democracy, and truth.

Because if society once again begins to treat defenders of Israel with suspicion, we may wake up one day to realize we are walking a road dangerously similar to that of 1930s Europe.

Never Again means standing up now, for Israel, for truth, and for the Jewish people.