As in the rest of the Netherlands, anti-Semitism has also increased in the east of the country in the past year. It has more than doubled. In 2022 there were ‘only’ 47 reports of anti-Semitism, but in 2023 that number grew to 104. This is an increase of 121 percent. The doubling can be found in the annual discrimination report of the Ministry of the Interior.
The report counts and takes into account all cases of discrimination, racism and anti-Semitism. These are figures from organizations and institutions, such as the police and the National Ombudsman. The growth is inextricably linked to the attack of October 7, 2023, after which hatred of Jews also increased sharply in Eastern Netherlands. According to the national police, tolerance is decreasing and polarization in society is increasing.
“A lot of people are wary of what is yet to happen,” says Lex Rutgers of the Etty Hillesum Center in Deventer to RTV Oost. He himself notices little of the growing anti-Semitism. “The Jewish community in the city is quite small and not very recognizable. I don’t notice much tension here. Fortunately, we get along reasonably well, but I do think that many people are cautious and wonder what is yet to happen.”
Anti-Semitism Monitor
Earlier, the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) also reported that anti-Semitism has risen sharply since the Hamas attacks on October 7. There has never been so much hatred of Jews in the Netherlands since it was measured by the CIDI. There were more than 2.5 times as many reports in 2023 as in the previous year, an increase of 245 percent. Last year, 379 incidents were reported to the interest group.
