Ellen Van Praagh, the President of NIK Central Committee, EJA Vice President, and President of the umbrella organization of 13 Jewish communities of the Mediena, spoke to Arutz Sheva – Israel National News about the recent antisemitic attack on Israelis, antisemitism in the Netherlands, and the scary feeling that Jews must hide all signs of Judaism in public.
“It's terrifying because we don't know how it's going to end, even though our government and municipalities are helping us in any way they can. It's still a problem because we don't know what's going to happen. We haven't seen it before in Europe, not on this scale. Even though Amsterdam is very international and most of the Dutch cities are a little bit more subdued and not as outspoken as the people in Amsterdam, it does make us feel uncomfortable, to say the least,” says Van Praagh.
According to Van Praagh, “The riots are still under investigation, so we don't have the details but through Telegram and other social media groups, it looks like it was an organized attack. We knew things could happen, but not on this scale. There are always crazy people with thoughts they shouldn't have, but it doesn't mean that I felt insecure. Even non-Jews are being attacked on the streets for no reason at all. Crime exists everywhere, even in Israel, but on this scale, no definitely not.”
Van Praagh admits that “it’s happening all the time, in every country. Look at universities. People are misinformed. People don't have any historical notion at all, they don't know their history and I think lack of history means you don't know what to do now or in the future. Jewish students feel insecure because if you go to university, you have to be in study groups and some of them were expelled, because of being Jewish or Israeli. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen.”
Van Praagh believes: “It's incredible, but it says how strong the groups are that are misinforming young people and I'm really afraid about the future that it holds because these children who are now at university are going to be the leaders of the future. It’s not only a problem in Holland. I see it in Italy. I see it in the United States. I see it in the UK. You see it everywhere and this is a very worrying and very anxious sign for our future as Jews in the world, not just in Europe, but everywhere.
“Local Jews are hiding their kippa under a cap, or not wearing a kippa at all, or even a Magen David. Any sign that may give the impression of being Jewish. If you go on public transport, don't show it. If you're on the street, don't show it. We warn our children and everybody not to be showing their religious signs in public. If you do, you're under the risk of being attacked,” warns Van Praagh.
“About 15 years ago my parents told me ‘Ellen, beware. There will be another period of fright, like things that happened before the war.’ I laughed at them and I said, ‘You're joking, that's absolutely not true. That's not going to happen in Holland, ever. To be perfectly honest, they were right and for me, it's so sad to experience this in my country, where my family has lived for generations, since the 1600s,” says Van Praagh sadly.
Even so, she admits that “I'm feeling a Dutch-Jew, emphasizing both the titles Dutch and Jew, that's what I am. That's who I am. So you understand my problem. I have to live in a country where I was born and bred, where my family comes from, and experiencing now a kind of fright that doesn't really suit my feelings of being Dutch. My children are aware of the circumstances, although they are in some denial. They don't want to accept it, but denial doesn't help, so we try to explain the situation.”