State of Tel Aviv: News and Change

Keeping things fresh.

To state the obvious, the past year has been... difficult. And then some. Each week, we hope for some relief. And each week seems to bring some unforeseen new disappointment. Sometimes, as in last week, horror.

The Amsterdam Pogrom is, on the one hand, shocking. On the other hand, if we are being truthful, no one should be at all surprised. Particularly since October 7, the widespread demonization of Jews / Israelis / Zionists has been normalized.

I see Amsterdam as a nodal point in this resurgence of violent antisemitism in the west. Not since WWII have Jews—and western liberal democracies—witnessed such sustained and constantly intensifying hatred. Within days of October 7, 2023, elite academic institutions, governments in democratic nations, powerful NGOs and mainstream and independent media have embraced and emboldened extreme antisemitism to a degree that I believe has shocked every one of us. The ferocity and intensity of this new wave of Jew hatred, combined with a quite widespread tolerance of it, could not have been foreseen on October 6, 2023.

We now have the benefit of some hindsight. It is clear that weak government responses since October 7 have only emboldened the haters. Last Thursday night, organized, armed groups of young, violent Muslim men hunted down Jews in the streets and alleys of Amsterdam. They beat them in what we now know was a pre-planned, organized attack. Which ought to give us pause. Do we gasp, collectively, and then pretend that it won’t get worse? Do we tell ourselves that, somehow, if we “stay away”, the violence will not find us?

Or, do we ask if this is a slow slide—a spot on the downward continuum that is only gaining momentum? Do we wait it out or do we do something? And what on earth would that something be?

Amsterdam hit me hard, personally, for a number of reasons. One is that I spent significant time there in the late 70s and early 80s, when my parents resided in the city. I fell in love with everything about Amsterdam and the Netherlands. It was a very different time.

Amsterdam also occupies a special place in the modern Jewish psyche because of Anne Frank. One of millions who was murdered in the Holocaust, Anne’s story has come to represent so much to so many. Most recently, her visage and name have been appropriated by extreme antisemites to represent the anti-Zionist cause. Her image wrapped in keffiyeh and often with a Palestinian flag, Anne is now held out and revered as an ally of those who would destroy Israel.

To the Dutch people, though, her story is borne as a mark of shame.

And, so, the King of the Netherlands, Willem Alexander, stated on Friday in a telephone conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog:

"We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War II, and last night we failed again."

The King pledged to do everything possible to ensure the safety of Jews and Israelis in the Netherlands. Following his comments, commitments were made for emergency sittings of the Dutch Parliament and Amsterdam city officials to discuss how to move forward.

We’ll see.

I have been immersed in the Amsterdam story since it broke. Tomorrow, State of Tel Aviv will publish a special podcast focusing on this event that will either make the beginning of a change, of course, or a continued descent into a very dark place. We will go behind the stories you’ve read over and over and speak with three people who are each deeply connected to Amsterdam and the Dutch Jewish reality.

In January 1933, celebrated Jewish writer and journalist, Joseph Roth, understood that he must leave Germany quickly. And so he moved to Paris, and as he watched civilization fall apart, everywhere, he was consumed by depression and alcohol, a lethal mix that ultimately killed him.

Roth saw what was right before him and refused to look away. It destroyed him.

Each of our podcast guests has deep experience living in the Netherlands and strong views on what this all means. We discuss the default human response to extreme chaos: to look away.

Today also marks the first Sunday since early January that State of Tel Aviv has not published a weekly update and analysis of what went down in the previous seven days. The predictable, anchored report was, I felt, needed last year. Going forward, we will continue to publish one to two podcasts each week but will be driven less by the day of the week and more by the events and stories on which we choose to focus.

This week, as mentioned above, we bring you a deep dive into Amsterdam, followed in a few days by an interview done last Thursday with Israeli professor, intellectual, media personality, writer and fascinating political figure, Gadi Taub. We have some excellent written work coming as well.

I’d be interested, as always, in your feedback. Ya’akov Katz will remain a regular, as will Jonathan Conricus. But truth be told, we are all traveling a lot and sometimes the Sunday thing is difficult. This gives us all more flexibility and allows us to introduce new voices as well.

Thanks, as always, for being here.

Vivian Bercovici

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