Yshai Amichaiis a father of six and an author with a legal education, whose books advocate upholding the Torah as a national Constitution. He may be contacted at: [email protected]
I can’t stop thinking about the Amsterdam pogrom. This shocking pogrom is the continuation of October 7 and Hamas’s effort to dehumanize and victimize Jews.
Hundreds of Israeli tourists were ambushed and beaten by swarms of Arab thugs who waited for them at metro exits, hotels, and other locations, to carry out a premeditated and organized mass antisemitic attack. The victims of this pogrom were beaten, stabbed, and kicked on the ground like rags. The local police did not help, and it is even being reported that they made few arrests. Thousands of Israelis evacuated Holland in panic.
What began on October 7 turned into a global phenomenon of resurgent antisemitism. Jew haters in Western countries took to the streets in support of Hamas and the massacre of Jews. They did so at times in deceptive ways, claiming to be freedom fighters for “Palestine” or humanitarians for Gaza, but the message has been clear from day one: They were cheering for the murder, rape, and dehumanization of Jews.
Western countries with large Arab and Muslim populations, either did not recognize the extreme danger of these rioters, or openly supported them. Major cities in the US let these rioters block streets and bridges and take over college campuses. Even the Biden administration pandered to their pressure, threatening Israel with sanctions and halting arms deliveries, entertaining claims that Israel is the one to blame, the way that Jews are blamed for antisemitism. It is always easier to blame the victim.
The irony stands, that a country like the Netherlands, home to the International Criminal Court that tried Israel for genocide, in response to the genocide committed by Hamas against Israel, is also the home to one of the first pogroms against Jews in the modern Western world. A modern world that seems all too old and familiar to Jews.
What are we to do?
The Hamas members and supporters in Amsterdam and other Western cities have set a goal for themselves of replicating Hamas’s evil actions. Their main goal at this stage is the humiliation and dehumanization of Jews. When evil rears its ugly head and squashes the faces of good people underfoot, that is the beginning of an evil world.
This new evil began with Hamas’s genocide of Jews. Israel stood up to fight as a nation and is killing Hamas, but at the same time Israel is also buckling to international pressure to feed and sustain Hamas. Many people, even in Israel, are still hoping, naively, or even wickedly, to make a deal with Hamas. You cannot defeat evil when you serve it.
Can you blame the Dutch for not doing justice and arresting the perpetrators of this pogrom, when Israel has not yet even tried and executed the perpetrators of Hamas’s genocide of Jews? Are we holding these evil murderers only to release them in a hostage deal? Is this how we fight the rapid rise of evil in the world? Evil must be tried and executed swiftly, to let it pass quickly from God’s earth.
Need I remind you that besides being home to a modern pogrom, the Netherlands is also home to the International Court of Justice. We should not be a party to their statutes. Let them keep their “justice” to themselves. We Jews have an intimate and existential relationship with True Justice, living and experiencing God’s Justice throughout our long history.
We have a Covenant with God, not the United Nations or the supporters of Hamas. We do not need to submit to Western justice and suffer their pogroms. Rather, we must submit to God and stand up for righteousness. That is the beginning of how evil is defeated, when good people stand up to it. When good people are unwilling to tolerate evil anymore, and rise up to eradicate it.
Be strong and courageous Israel. Pick up your sword and execute Hamas and its supporters.