More students at Jewish secondary schools in Amsterdam as anti-Semitism increases
The number of students attending Jewish secondary schools in Amsterdam, the only Dutch city with these schools, has increased significantly for the second year in a row. According to the Central Jewish Consultation (CJO), the official forum for Jewish organizations to discuss issues with the government, more Jewish kids are choosing to go to Jewish schools because of the growing anti-Semitism in the Netherlands.
Last year, enrollment grew by the dozens. This year, a similar trend is visible. “That’s a significant number for the 25,000 jews in Amsterdam,” Chanan Hertzberger of the CJO told NOS Radio 1 Nieuws. “We’re happy that more students want to go to a Jewish school, but the reason is worrying.”
Jewish students no longer feel safe at school, he said. “The students primarily feel socially unsafe because they are being challenged about the situation in Israel. Zionism is now a curse word. This also has an impact on the classrooms and playgrounds at secondary schools,” he said.
Anti-Semitism has been increasing alarmingly since 7 October 2023, the day that Hamas committed a terrorist attack in Israel and Israel retaliated with mass bombings that are still continuing. But according to Hertzberger, the last six months have been particularly bad. “Zionism is no longer about striving for an independent Jewish state. These days, you’re immediately seen as a child murderer or a perpetrator of genocide.”
Hertzberger would like to see schools and the government do more to make Jewish people feel safe. “That moral leadership is lacking, also within the government and cities. I often miss people truly standing up for the Jewish community,” he said.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas committed a terrorist attack on Israel, killing at least 1,139 people. Israel responded with massive bombings on Gaza and, except for a brief ceasefire at the start of this year, has continued ever since. As of 8 July 2025, Israel has killed at least 57,575 people in the Gaza Strip, including 17,400 children, Al Jazeera reported based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. At least 136,879 people are injured.
