Thousands gather in Amsterdam for Kristallnacht, 87 years after Nazi attacks on Jews

Thousands gathered in Amsterdam Sunday for the annual Kristallnacht commemoration at the Portuguese Synagogue, marking 87 years since the night of November 9–10, 1938, when thousands of Jewish shop windows in Germany were smashed and approximately 1,400 synagogues were set on fire.

The event was attended by caretaker Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Mariëlle Paul (VVD) and author Jessica Durlacher, who addressed the audience. For the first time, a German minister was present at the Amsterdam commemoration. Karin Prien, German Minister of Education, who was born in Amsterdam and has a Jewish background, said the remembrance remains crucial.

“It is unacceptable that Jews still feel unsafe, eighty years after the Holocaust,” Prien said. She emphasized that knowing the history of World War II is not enough to prevent repetition.

In parallel, an alternative march ended at the Jewish Resistance Monument, drawing over a hundred participants. Organized by the anti-Zionist group Erev Rav, the march was intended for people who feel increasingly alienated from the traditional Kristallnacht commemorations.

“Jews are not the only owners of suffering. We need to look beyond what happened in Germany that night in 1938 and learn from it,” said David Prins of Erev Rav, pointing to the situation in Gaza, the Netherlands’ responsibilities, and growing discrimination against Jews and Muslims.

Tensions surrounding Jewish commemorations in the Netherlands have escalated in recent years. In 2023, Kristallnacht events in Breda and Groningen were altered because the local Jewish communities did not feel safe; the commemoration at the Jewish Monument in Breda was even canceled. The ongoing conflict in Gaza has further heightened sensitivities, while antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands have sharply increased since October 7, 2023.