Further details have emerged from last week’s pogrom in Amsterdam proving that it was a premeditated “Jew hunt” – a chilling reminder of the persistent antisemitic threats facing Jews in Europe. Additional incidents of anti-Jewish violence transpired in Amsterdam later that week, including the firebombing of a tram by rioters screaming “Cancer Jews.”

Amid the 86-year anniversary of Kristallnacht, such crimes in Amsterdam harken back to the attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions during that Nazi-era pogrom. As violent Jew-haters attempt to “globalize the intifada,” it is time for action, not merely words, from world leaders. 

Indeed, since the start of 2024, the Antisemitism Research Center by CAM has documented 460 incidents of violence or vandalism targeting Jewish sites worldwide, the vast majority of which occurred in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe.

Incidents recorded this week further underscored the dire situation. In Washington, D.C., a vandal smashed the windows of Char Bar, the American capital’s only kosher restaurant. Neo-Nazi demonstrators protested an American Legion facility in Howell, Michigan, during a performance of the play The Diary of Anne Frank. In Chicago, Illinois, two Jewish DePaul University students were physically assaulted while displaying support for Israel, prompting police to open a hate crime investigation. 

Ahead of our upcoming 2024 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Beverly Hills, we recall an incident at our first mayoral summit in 2021 that offers an important lesson on the need to properly identify and fight all forms of modern-day Jew-hatred. In remarks at that gathering, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said, “People should … be allowed to criticize the policy of the State of Israel” — missing an opportunity to acknowledge and denounce anti-Zionist forms of antisemitism, an eliminationist worldview distinct from mere criticism of Israel.

The harmful consequences of this approach became clear last week with the violent pogrom that rocked her city. We hope this cautionary tale resonates with mayors across the globe as they devise and implement anti-hate policies in their cities.