Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
Photo: AP
Dutch premier blasts anti-Semitism
Amesterdam hosts prime minster as part of Holocaust memorial service, who warns 'anti-Semitism still with us'; new chief rabbi warns "Holocaust Judaism" is an 'empty basket'
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende lashed out against anti-Semitism at a memorial service of the Jewish Community of Amsterdam on Monday evening.
Balkenende made the remarks at a special commemoration service in the main Ashkenazi synagogue of Amsterdam, the Rav Aron Schuster Synagogue, to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Holocaust.
The prime minister was the guest of honor at the event, and seized the opportunity to speak about his admiration for Jewish tradition and the importance of a constitutional state.
"Tonight we commemorate the killing of six million Jewish people, among them a lot of your community. The danger of anti-Semitism is, alas, still with us. I think, for example, about the latest words of the Iranian president to wipe out the State of Israel, which are absolutely reprehensible and unacceptable.”
"Participation is crucial for living together in peace and that goes very well with maintaining ones on identity. Key-notions in a multicultural society are integration, participation, and to know and to respect each other. That's what you always did, and I find that most admirable,” the Dutch political leader added.
Praise for chazzan
The Christian-Democrat Balkenende also praised the synagogue's chief cantor, Hans Bloemendal, who led the prayers and singing.
"You, Cantor Bloemendal, were the first to open up the synagogue after the liberation. The old prayers gave you the strength to go on,” Balkenende said.
Apart for members of the Ashkenazi and Sefardi communities, Christians and Moroccan-Muslims where also invited to attend the event..
Chairman of the Jewish Community in Amsterdam, David Simon, mentioned in his introduction that in 1939 there were 787 Jewish children born in Amsterdam, 26 Jewish butchers and bakeries and the community had more than 81,000 members.
Today the community of Amsterdam, the biggest Dutch community by far, has 3,000 members, one kosher butcher and a few other shops under rabbinic supervision, although, the majority of Jews in Amsterdam are not connected.
New chief rabbi
Rabbi Aryeh Leib Ralbag, who recently accepted the position of chief rabbi of Amsterdam but is still based in New York, warned the audience of the importance of ensuring a Jewish future in Holland.
He said: "We won’t forget that the world was silent when six million of our brothers and sisters where murdered. But that shouldn’t determine our Judaism. That is, in the words of the Talmud, an empty basket.
“But we don’t have a Jewish future with an empty basket. We commit spiritual suicide if our children don’t understand the tradition and marry non-Jewish partners. Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath), Jewish education and social life should determine our identity. That is a full basket."
