NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress has welcomed a pact signed by virtually all Dutch political parties participating in upcoming municipal elections in Amsterdam to support the Jewish community and its key issues. The agreement, which covers a range of issues including anti-Semitism, security and Holocaust education, was the initiative of Ruben Vis, Director of the Organization of Jewish Communities in the Netherlands (NIK), WJC’s affiliate in that country.
WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer said: “This agreement reached in Amsterdam serves as a model for the politicians in other great cities of Europe seeking to engage with and understand the concerns of their local Jewish communities. We especially welcome the commitment to tackle anti-Semitism and ensure security for the Jewish community in Amsterdam – Jews are an inseparable part of this city and its reputation as a center of tolerance and progress.”
In the agreement, the parties express their commitment to stand for an Amsterdam that “cherishes its Jewish history and cares for its Jewish inhabitants. So that Jews feel safe and at home in Amsterdam and see that politicians are fighting against intolerance, discrimination and anti-Semitism.” The parties also commit to promptly deal with any difficulties surrounding the teaching of the Holocaust in schools throughout the city and to ensure that all schoolchildren have the opportunity to visit museums or sites which explain how almost ten percent of the entire population of the city was decimated in less than three years.
Approximately 29,900 Jews live in the Netherlands today.