VZCZCXRO6626
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHTC #0460/01 1510858
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300858Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1539
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 3979

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 000460 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: SPECIAL ENVOY RICKMAN FINDS LITTLE 
ANTI-SEMITISM 
 
THE HAGUE 00000460  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  During a May 22-25 visit to Amsterdam, Special 
Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism Gregg 
Rickman and Karen Paikin met with Jewish community leaders, 
local government officials, scholars, and NGOs.   Rickman 
found relatively little anti-Semitism in the Netherlands 
during discussions on verbal abuse and violence, 
anti-Semitism vs. anti-Israel policy, other political 
concerns, right-wing extremists, and Jewish-Muslim community 
relations (para 3-10).  Rickman also shared ideas with Dutch 
contacts on ways to reduce anti-Semitism (para 11).  Rickman 
reviewed his findings during an interview with the press, and 
he also addressed students about U.S. efforts to reduce 
anti-Semitism (para 12-13).  A complete list of contacts for 
the visit is available at the end of this cable (para 14). 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. BACKGROUND: The Jewish community in the Netherlands 
numbers 30 to 50 thousand according to different 
commentators.  The Jewish population declined by 100 thousand 
after the deportations and genocide of World War II.  The 
Sephardic community dates back to the 1500s, when Jews fled 
Spain and Portugal.  The Ashkenazi community has also been 
present in Amsterdam for hundreds of years.  END BACKGROUND. 
 
Relatively Little Anti-Semitism 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. Verbal abuse:  Peter Rodriguez, of the Anne Frank 
Foundation, and Igor Boog, research team leader at the Dutch 
government,s leading anti-discrimation organization (Article 
1), indicated there are roughly 150 complaints of 
anti-semitic hate speech or discrimination each year.  Meir 
Villegas of the Center for Documentation and Information on 
Israel (CIDI) noted an increase in the seriousness of verbal 
threats ) with not just abusive language but also physical 
threats (Note: Villegas also added that gays receive more 
threats than Jews.  Boog expressed concern about the 
statistical validity of any conclusions in the 
Anti-Defamation League's report on Anti-Semitism. End note.) 
Several commentators cited events during the Netherlands, 
Memorial Day celebrations four or five years ago, when a 
number of Morrocan youth shouted anti-Jewish slurs during a 
moment of silence, and played soccer with memorial wreaths. 
 
¶4. Verbal abuse, personal accounts: Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen 
reported receiving some anti-Jewish mail, mostly from outside 
Amsterdam, from right-wing groups.  Rabbi Ten Brink, head of 
the Jewish Liberal Community, indicated that he had not heard 
complaints of verbal abuse from his congregation, but had 
been the target of anti-Jewish remarks on two occasions.  He 
also heard that opponents of the Ajax soccer team, which is 
viewed by some as a &Jewish team,8 had shouted &Hamas8 
during some games.  Joel Cahen, Director of the Jewish 
Historical Museum, said his museum had received some hate 
mail.  Cahen has at times sensed an &under the table8 
anti-Semitism directed at him. At the same time, he noted 
that at the 60th anniversary celebration for Israel included 
three thousand guests, more than half of them Christians. 
 
¶5. Violence: Most commentators indicated that violence toward 
Jews in the Netherlands is rare; graffiti and verbal abuse 
are the main problems.  At the same time, several 
commentators noted that Jews wearing Yarmulkes do not feel 
safe visiting certain parts of Amsterdam.  The Jewish 
community employs security guards to protect synagogues. 
On the other hand, Joel Cahen said his museum had not 
received telephone or other threats. 
 
¶6. Anti-Semitism vs. Anti-Israel Policy:  Several 
commentators independently stated that it was difficult for 
many members of the Muslim community to separate events in 
the Middle East, and particularly the activities by the state 
of Israel, from the views of the Jewish community in the 
Netherlands.  Rabbi Ten Brink indicated that Israel-Palestine 
debates &might be the core problem8 of anti-Semitism in the 
Netherlands. 
 
¶7. Other political concerns:  Some members of the Jewish 
community sought more police protection for synagogues (Note: 
in a follow-up discussion between the acting CG and Amsterdam 
Mayor Job Cohen, the mayor indicated that he would increase 
protection in response to specific threats against the 
synagogues or cultural centers.  End note.)    In addition to 
security issues, a few members of the Jewish community 
expressed concern about draft legislation against ritual 
slaughter, which would affect Kosher butchers and the Jewish 
community's access to Kosher meat, and proposals against 
female genital mutilation, which might possibly affect 
circumcision practices.  Finally, some members of the 
community indicated that school exams sometimes take place on 
Jewish holidays, and that individuals have been fired for 
 
THE HAGUE 00000460  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
taking off work days for a Jewish holiday. (Note:  Legal 
remedies are available in the Netherlands for discrimination 
in education and the workplace.  End note.)  Rabbi Ten Brink 
sees some of the right wing parties, such as Geert Wilders, 
Freedom Party and Rita Verdonk,s Proud of the Netherlands 
Party, as threatening because they attack Islam, &which is 
bad for us.8 
 
¶8. Right-wing extremists: According to Cahen, the Dutch 
generally are more anti-Semitic than the Moroccan or Turkish 
communities.  According to Ten Brink, the right wing 
extremists generally target the Muslim community rather than 
Jews.   Rodriguez indicated that hate speech and hate 
materials on the Internet seemed to be on the rise, 
particularly via U.S. websites.  According to Van Donselaar, 
the far right has not committed any serious violent acts but 
has demonstrated a &fascination with explosives.8  Villegas 
of CIDI indicated that the &right wing is so marginalized 
that we as Jews don,t have to worry.8 
 
¶9. The Muslim community:  Commentators identified Moroccan 
Muslim youth as the source of most verbal assaults.  Mustafa 
Baba, a researcher at the cultural consultancy Mex-It, gave 
an overview of the Muslim community, noting that Islam was 
not an issue for the Netherlands ten to fifteen years ago -- 
there were instead &migrant8 issues.  The events of 
September 11 and the murder of filmmaker van Gogh changed the 
debate.  Now the Muslim community is aware of its diversity 
and is very divided.   Moroccans make up 60-70 per cent of 
the population, and Turks most of the remainder.  (Note: 
Baba probably was referring to the Amsterdam population. 
Within the Netherlands, Turks make up about 44 per cent, and 
Moroccans about 39 per cent, of the Muslim population.  End 
note.)  Although the conservative/orthodox community is 
relatively small, it dominates the public debate.  Baba also 
noted that it is difficult for native Dutch to adapt in 
communities that have changed in the past few years to 80-90 
per cent Moroccan.  At the same time, the Amsterdam police 
should hire more Muslim officers, and there has been abusive 
language and discrimination against Muslims within the police 
corps. 
 
¶10.  Muslim community, continued: On a more existential 
level, Baba and Professor Scheffer of the University of 
Amsterdam noted that the Muslim community is facing great 
tension within itself, particularly among first and second 
generations.  The first generation experiences a sense of 
loss of its home culture, while the second generation may not 
feel at home in the Netherlands but is quickly adopting Dutch 
patterns of living, such as a low birth rate.  Scheffer 
recalled attending a service with a Lebanese imam preaching 
against women attending the cinema alone -- a young Dutch 
Muslim woman attending the service publicly responded that 
she was working on her law degree, would soon be practicing 
law, and that she rejected his ideas.  Scheffer thought it 
was an open question whether Muslim migrants would be able to 
adapt, but he believes they probably will: &Muslims will get 
addicted to our open society.8  Scheffer and Mayor Cohen 
dismissed the idea that Muslims would make up 50 per cent of 
the population by 2050. 
 
Efforts to Reduce Anti-Semitism 
------------------------------- 
 
¶11. The events of past memorial days (para 3) have prompted 
leaders to reach out with a variety of initiatives to reduce 
anti-Semitism and inter-community tensions: 
 
-- Arco Verburg, Chairman of the De Baarsjes district council 
in Amsterdam, described efforts to reach out to immigrants, 
youth, and Moroccans in particular to explain the purpose of 
Dutch Memorial Day celebrations.  Youth now participate in 
the event with banners and flowers. 
 
-- Verburg also described an annual Jewish-Moroccan football 
tournament. 
 
-- Verburg,s colleague, Aaron Brugmans, described an effort 
by Jewish leaders to participate in Iftar celebrations. 
Imams were surprisingly open to the idea, according to 
Brugmans. 
 
-- Abdel Betti, a local government employee in Amsterdam, 
organized a visit to Auschwitz by 35 Muslims during May 2008. 
 The group included four imams; most participants were in 
their fifties.   The individuals were very moved by the 
experience, &it opened their eyes,8 and Betti plans 
follow-on meetings to discuss how to share their experience 
more broadly within the Muslim community.  A short 
documentary of the visit was played on Dutch television. 
Betti would like to organize future trips but depends on 
 
THE HAGUE 00000460  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
government funding. 
 
-- Brugmans plans to invite &Muslim grandfathers8 and their 
grandkids to the famous Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam for 
tea. 
 
-- Rabbi Ten Brink started a dialogue with Christians and 
Muslims, including a &trialogue Pesach Seder8 that 
emphasizes to participants their common experience in the 
Netherlands, while playing down events in the Middle East. 
Ten Brink noted he also works with his counterparts of other 
faiths to condemn any attacks, but that is difficult. 
 
-- Rodriguez of the Anne Frank Foundation has worked on 
anti-Semitism training for three thousand Dutch police. 
 
-- The Anne Frank Foundation has developed graphic (comic) 
books on World War II and the Holocaust, as well as teaching 
materials on anti-Semitism, and traveling exhibits. 
 
-- Baba of Mex-It has developed a training program for local 
police on religion and radicalization. 
 
Press Interview, Student Outreach 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶12. The Dutch press agency (ANP) interviewed Rickman on May 
¶24.  ANP quoted Rickman saying that &I heard stories here 
about verbal abuse and of some being afraid to go to certain 
neighborhoods.  However, the situation is not as bad here as 
in some other countries. I know of no cases of physical 
violence against the Jews in the Netherlands.8  The article 
quotes Rickman citing rising anti-Semitism in other parts of 
Europe, and urging governments to counter anti-Semitism. 
 
¶13. Also on May 24, Rickman n reviewed their efforts in a 
meeting with 50 members of the European Union of Jewish 
Students, who were meeting in Amsterdam. 
 
Contacts on Anti-Semitism 
------------------------- 
 
¶14. Rickman and Paikin met with the following individuals: 
 
Jewish Historical Museum, Director J. Cahen 
 
Arco Verburg, Chairman of &De Baarsjes8 District Council 
 
Rabbi Menno ten Brink, Jewish-Liberal Community 
 
Igor Boog, Director and chief researcher, Article 1 National 
Association against Discrimination, 
 
Anne Frank Foundation Director J.F. Westra, senior 
researchers Peter R. Rodrigues and Jaap van Donselaar 
 
Mustafa Baba, prominent Muslim spokesman from Mex-it 
 
Senator Uri Rosenthal, VVD (Liberal) party 
 
Meir Villegas Henriquez, senior researcher on anti-Semitism, 
Center for Documentation and Information on Israel (CIDI) 
 
Professor Scheffer, University of Amsterdam 
 
Public Diplomacy officer David Barnouw and Dr. Wichert ten 
Have, director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide 
studies 
 
Abdel Betti, Slotervaart District Council employee 
 
Jacques Grishaver of the Netherlands Auschwitz Committee 
 
Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen 
 
David Serphos, Director NIHS, with Rabbi Evers and members of 
Board of NIHS 
European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) 
Foster