A shame of the Netherlands

RABBI ABRAHAM COOPER

Last week, during Passover, we ate more matzah than we ever thought possible, heard more commentary about the Haggadah and its multiple messages for our time, and sat back in awe and (hopefully) love at the sight at of our extended family circle and friendships.

I hope we’ve left enough space for one young man who deserves the world’s attention and support. He is not a martyr and wants to avoid becoming one. As of now, however, he and his family are in hiding in an undisclosed location in the Netherlands, because of death threats.

His name is Mehmet Sahin, a Muslim doctoral student who has volunteered to reach out to street youth in the Dutch city of Arnhem. A few weeks ago, he interviewed a group of Dutch-Turkish youth on Nederlands TV2 (youtube.com/ watch?v=n_h5s1yjsTI), several of whom declared their unabashed hatred of Jews and open admiration of Hitler. “What Hitler did to the Jews is fine with me,” said one. “Hitler should have killed all the Jews,” said another.

While these teens knew all about the fate of iconic Holocaust child victim, Anne Frank, that knowledge did nothing to deter them from expressing their outright hatred of Jews, and insisting that everyone at their school harbored similar views. When you view the clip you will see that their smirks and body language confirm a deeply embedded hatred. Watch the video as one boy smiles as he declares: “What Hitler said about Jews is that there will be one day when you see that I am right that I killed all the Jews – and that day will come.”

From where does such bigotry emanate? Here’s a hint. When Sahin reprimanded the youngsters and committed to spend however much time it would take to debunk and remove their ignorance and hate, here is how his neighbors reacted: they collected signatures to demand he leave the area. When Sahin began to receive death threats, the mayor of Arnhem, Pauline Krikke, urged him to go into hiding. That is where he and his family are today.

Is this the best solution that democratic Netherlands can come up with? A witness protection program for a man guilty of fighting antisemitism and standing up for the truth? Are there no consequences for the hate and threats emanating from adults? Are authorities going to question the students’ parents or teachers?

One member of the Dutch parliament, Ahmed Marcouch, said he will raise the scandal in parliament. “It is horrible that someone has to be afraid because he has done something that we all should do – teach children not to hate,” he said.

Against the backdrop of Anne Frank’s legacy, how today’s Netherlands deals with such deeply embedded hatred of Jews will impact not only the future of Dutch Jewry but also the future of Dutch society. Simon Wiesenthal, the late Nazi hunter, was much revered by the post-Second World War generation in the Netherlands. In the 21st century, some have forgotten his oft-repeated warning: “Hate often begins with Jews, but history proves it never ends with the Jews.”

Prior to going into hiding, Sahin wrote the following: “Within a couple of days, I will move to another city of the Netherlands. My personal situation/story is a shame of the European civilization because it is inconceivable that such barbarism can occur in this country. After what happened in the last three weeks, I understood the eternal loneliness and pain of the Jewish population. In the rest of my life, I will tell the whole world that we all must resist this aggression….”

Dayenu – enough good guys being martyred! We don’t need another martyr. Those kids in the Netherlands and their peers in Europe need Mehmet Sahin and other heroic messengers of truth, peace and tolerance. While we may not be able to guarantee his future, we can let him know that today he is not forgotten. Take a moment to send a message of solidarity to Sahin c/o [email protected] and together we will let him know he is not alone.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper is associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre.

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