Is there a future for Jews in The Netherlands?

People ask me almost daily—young people from our Jewish community—if there is still a future for them in the Netherlands. Can I feel secure here in 2025, 2030, 2035? What should I answer?

A few weeks ago, Mr. Khatib was scheduled to speak at the University of Nijmegen. Mr. Khatib is a prominent figure in the Samidoun movement, an organization listed as a terrorist group in Germany. Ultimately, his visit was prevented because a young student named Milos made so much noise about it that the hate preacher was denied entry to our country. Milos not only mobilized national politics but also spoke to the press with determination, making it clear why we should never normalize what is abnormal.

Rabbi Yanki Jacobs, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Yesterday, I spoke with Milos, and he told me that he is not Jewish and does not have a Jewish background. “But why do you care?” I asked. “Why throw yourself into a struggle in which you are not the target?”

The answer he gave me is one I’d like to share with you. He said his parents were refugees from Yugoslavia, and they taught him how special it is to live in a free country.

Shortly after October 7, Milos noticed something at the university. After lectures, students would gather in groups at tables, talking or working on assignments. But he observed one student who always sat alone, as if isolated. Milos approached this student and asked why he kept to himself. The student replied that he was of Israeli descent and preferred to sit alone to avoid insensitive remarks from classmates.

At that moment, Milos realized that even in the country his parents had fled to in search of freedom, freedom is not guaranteed. When students—young, intelligent people—no longer see each other as peers or fellow citizens but instead judge one another based on origin, religion, or skin color, you have to ask yourself whether an open society still exists.

“My parents had to flee,” Milos concluded, “but I was given the chance to go to school here, to study here, to enter politics here. It’s up to me to make sure this society remains free.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I share this story with you because his message so perfectly captures the essence of why we are gathered here today.

For today, we are not here to fight against antisemitism; we are here to stand for a free and safe society.

And in this fight, in this dilemma, I stand here today not as a Jew, not as a Christian, not as a Muslim. In my fight for safety, I stand here as an Amsterdammer, as a Dutch citizen, as a world citizen.

Because the question we are asking today is not about the color of the flag we hang outside our homes. The dilemma we face today is not about the political party we support. The choices we must make today are about the kind of society we want to be: a society where fundamental rights and freedoms clash, or a society where we respect and care for one another. A society where Jews are seen as public property about whom everyone feels entitled to judge, or a society where ethical thinking forms the foundation.

I began with the question: Is there a future for Jews in the Netherlands? My answer is this:

If there is a future for the Netherlands, there is a future for Jews in the Netherlands.

In other words: If Dutch society is strong enough to stand up to hatred, then my answer to anyone who asks if there is a future for them here is a resounding yes. But we need people to speak out for that future. You are doing so, and for that, I thank you. Thank you very much.

——-

This speech was delivered at the Manifestation Against Antisemitism in Amsterdam on November 28, 2024 by Rabbi Yanki Jacobs.