A very good point, but one ignored by all western leaders. Recently, in the Netherlands, police who refused to guard a Jewish institution because of their political conscience suffered no consequences; instead they were permitted to exercise their duties elsewhere. Little wonder than the police stood by when Israeli soccer fans were attacked this week. And this from a government whose leading figure is Geert Wilders. Then there was the cancellation of the Young Frisbee tournament in Belgium because the authorities could not guarantee the safety of the Israeli team. And then there was the antisemitic anti-Israel frenzy of the Eurovision contest. And then there are the campus encampments shouting obscene and false slogans against Jews and Israel and somehow the authorities in universities and government cannot do anything about it. The western world has a Jewish problem and it will collapse from within because of it. One is tempted to say good riddance to bad rubbish.
Thank you for the important historical reminder of what preceded Kristillnacht.
I have a friend who was 8 years old in Augsburg, Germany when it happened and remembers it well. And also what preceded it and came afterward. He got out by Kindertransport.
Thank you for referencing Frederick Blair’s (in)famous quote, “None is too many”. Growing up Jewish in Canada, it was often angrily referenced by my late parents.
One parallel between Amsterdam and Kristallnacht: According to the reports I’ve read, Amsterdam police apparently did nothing, and they have still not arrested anyone, despite the fact that the pogrom was live-streamed and at least some of the planning took place on Uber’s driver platform.
I disagree. The pogrom in Amsterdam was started by government intervention, just not the Netherland's. I believe the Hezbollah brass that had not been wiped out were in foreign cities, ostensibly to #globalizeTheIntefada. And this would have been at the behest of Iran. I am not privy to details so I have no proof. I have heard the pogrom comes down to the Islamic Brotherhood and not Hezbollah but they both come down to Iran. So yes, it happened to have taken place in the Netherlands, and there has been enough indoctrination in the Netherlands that the police were either ordered to stand down for 90 minutes or they voluntarily stood down for 90 minutes while the atrocities took place. You could say, well the Dutch authorities had been warned that an operation was going to take place and they had the time to prepare to protect the Israelis and did not. Does that constitute a parallel to Kristallnacht? I guess it comes down to at what point does willful passivity make a government an accomplice? You are right, the pogrom in Amsterdam is not the same as Kristallnacht. It's nowhere near its scale but when you consider that a similar thing will probably happen sooner or later in all the west's major cities, when you consider that a slow motion war of indoctrination has been going on in the west literally for decades now, it's not the same as Kristallnacht but when you take the accumulated damage of what has happened and what is yet to come, what Iran has planned to accomplish against Israel in the west and against the west in the west probably will dwarf what happened in the Holocaust. Particularly when you consider that western police will probably collaborate, and they will use all modern technology at their disposal.
How do you suggest we act? I am not being snarky, I am looking for ideas.
When Trump was President before, I was against the Muslim ban because of the long history where countries considered Jews foreigners no matter how many hundreds or thousands of years they had lived there. I figured if we could ban Muslims we could ban Jews. I didn't know then about the plans for the Caliphate, so now my ideas have changed because this immigration is actually a slow act of war. But still, if you pick on any one group, you can pick on any group, so I'm very uncomfortable about this whole situation. Europe is essentially lost because they wanted to be fair. My attitude would get the US lost and conquered because I'm afraid the Jews would be deported or rounded up into camps, although if Muslim immigration were to continue the Jews could just as easily (or more easily) be deported or rounded up into camps. The attitude of open-mindedness is suicidal but since we're perpetual foreigners wherever we go, a tough-minded attitude could be suicidal to us in particular. I'd like some good suggestions.
We often say “to bring down the temperature” without knowing what we are talking about. In reference to the horrid attacks in Amsterdam, unfortunately the temperature was already burning extremely hot on both sides. There were actions taken by Israelis that were incorrect and probably illegal. So looking at the big picture, the police and other authorities and the King acted decisively and quite quickly to make arrests and deal with the situation.
It is one of the tragic consequences of this prolonged war that we are all hardening our feelings about what are permissible actions.
Pat is absolutely correct in (quoting Dara Horn and) stating that we must be careful about evoking the Holocaust. There are multiple complexities to learn and reflect upon.
The history of the anniversary of the Kristalnacht remains as relevant as ever. However, the parallels with the fights in Amsterdam are not as obvious as you suggest and certainly cannot be seen in the light that Netanyahu puts them. It is becoming increasingly clear that Maccabi supporters turned out toe be as capable as Ajax supporters to be soccer hooligans. They had entered the city and committed acts of vandalism and shouted islamophobic slogans. That was before the fights. You also have to be good guests if you want the hosts to behave well. I grew up in Holland and I know the culture of soccer hooligans all too well. I saw it all around me. Maccabi supporters acted violently in a foreign city. They did not deserve the response they received and neither were they justified acting the way that they did. It is scandalous to not hold these hooligans accountable for their actions.
A very good point, but one ignored by all western leaders. Recently, in the Netherlands, police who refused to guard a Jewish institution because of their political conscience suffered no consequences; instead they were permitted to exercise their duties elsewhere. Little wonder than the police stood by when Israeli soccer fans were attacked this week. And this from a government whose leading figure is Geert Wilders. Then there was the cancellation of the Young Frisbee tournament in Belgium because the authorities could not guarantee the safety of the Israeli team. And then there was the antisemitic anti-Israel frenzy of the Eurovision contest. And then there are the campus encampments shouting obscene and false slogans against Jews and Israel and somehow the authorities in universities and government cannot do anything about it. The western world has a Jewish problem and it will collapse from within because of it. One is tempted to say good riddance to bad rubbish.
Thank you for the important historical reminder of what preceded Kristillnacht.
I have a friend who was 8 years old in Augsburg, Germany when it happened and remembers it well. And also what preceded it and came afterward. He got out by Kindertransport.
P.S. the attack in Amsterdam might have been planned by other governments besides that of the Netherlands
Thank you for referencing Frederick Blair’s (in)famous quote, “None is too many”. Growing up Jewish in Canada, it was often angrily referenced by my late parents.
One parallel between Amsterdam and Kristallnacht: According to the reports I’ve read, Amsterdam police apparently did nothing, and they have still not arrested anyone, despite the fact that the pogrom was live-streamed and at least some of the planning took place on Uber’s driver platform.
Thank you! Eloquently put and so true.
I disagree. The pogrom in Amsterdam was started by government intervention, just not the Netherland's. I believe the Hezbollah brass that had not been wiped out were in foreign cities, ostensibly to #globalizeTheIntefada. And this would have been at the behest of Iran. I am not privy to details so I have no proof. I have heard the pogrom comes down to the Islamic Brotherhood and not Hezbollah but they both come down to Iran. So yes, it happened to have taken place in the Netherlands, and there has been enough indoctrination in the Netherlands that the police were either ordered to stand down for 90 minutes or they voluntarily stood down for 90 minutes while the atrocities took place. You could say, well the Dutch authorities had been warned that an operation was going to take place and they had the time to prepare to protect the Israelis and did not. Does that constitute a parallel to Kristallnacht? I guess it comes down to at what point does willful passivity make a government an accomplice? You are right, the pogrom in Amsterdam is not the same as Kristallnacht. It's nowhere near its scale but when you consider that a similar thing will probably happen sooner or later in all the west's major cities, when you consider that a slow motion war of indoctrination has been going on in the west literally for decades now, it's not the same as Kristallnacht but when you take the accumulated damage of what has happened and what is yet to come, what Iran has planned to accomplish against Israel in the west and against the west in the west probably will dwarf what happened in the Holocaust. Particularly when you consider that western police will probably collaborate, and they will use all modern technology at their disposal.
Excellent points. This is why we need to act now. This was the warning signal we shouldn’t have needed!
How do you suggest we act? I am not being snarky, I am looking for ideas.
When Trump was President before, I was against the Muslim ban because of the long history where countries considered Jews foreigners no matter how many hundreds or thousands of years they had lived there. I figured if we could ban Muslims we could ban Jews. I didn't know then about the plans for the Caliphate, so now my ideas have changed because this immigration is actually a slow act of war. But still, if you pick on any one group, you can pick on any group, so I'm very uncomfortable about this whole situation. Europe is essentially lost because they wanted to be fair. My attitude would get the US lost and conquered because I'm afraid the Jews would be deported or rounded up into camps, although if Muslim immigration were to continue the Jews could just as easily (or more easily) be deported or rounded up into camps. The attitude of open-mindedness is suicidal but since we're perpetual foreigners wherever we go, a tough-minded attitude could be suicidal to us in particular. I'd like some good suggestions.
Pat, Exceptionally well written and insightful.
We often say “to bring down the temperature” without knowing what we are talking about. In reference to the horrid attacks in Amsterdam, unfortunately the temperature was already burning extremely hot on both sides. There were actions taken by Israelis that were incorrect and probably illegal. So looking at the big picture, the police and other authorities and the King acted decisively and quite quickly to make arrests and deal with the situation.
It is one of the tragic consequences of this prolonged war that we are all hardening our feelings about what are permissible actions.
Pat is absolutely correct in (quoting Dara Horn and) stating that we must be careful about evoking the Holocaust. There are multiple complexities to learn and reflect upon.
The history of the anniversary of the Kristalnacht remains as relevant as ever. However, the parallels with the fights in Amsterdam are not as obvious as you suggest and certainly cannot be seen in the light that Netanyahu puts them. It is becoming increasingly clear that Maccabi supporters turned out toe be as capable as Ajax supporters to be soccer hooligans. They had entered the city and committed acts of vandalism and shouted islamophobic slogans. That was before the fights. You also have to be good guests if you want the hosts to behave well. I grew up in Holland and I know the culture of soccer hooligans all too well. I saw it all around me. Maccabi supporters acted violently in a foreign city. They did not deserve the response they received and neither were they justified acting the way that they did. It is scandalous to not hold these hooligans accountable for their actions.
You changed direction but:--
Does Evian conference give us clues on how to manage asylum requests from Syria,Iran etc.
Like during the 2nd World War it seems tuff