It was a Boiling Hot Sauna! – Chief Rabbi Jacobs

September 10, 2021

It was a boiling hot sauna!
This week we are in the days of Selichot, days of preparation for the Jamiem Noraim, the Days of awe, preceding the festival of the Jewish New Year.
Awe is of great importance, because if there is a lack of ‘awe’, a society just goes in the wrong direction. This thought came to my mind when I was present in Westerbork, former Dutch deportationcamp to welcome the cyclists who had participated in “Back to Westerbork”. Tears welled up in my eyes. All young people who had made the journey from Auschwitz to Westerbork, én route had visited the various concentration camps, other places of horror and were now back in Westerbork. Awe! Lack of awe can lead to anarchy. But submitting to a wrong authority can lead to what happened in WWII. Eighty percent of my family ended up in the gas chambers of Auschwitz and Sobibor via Westerbork! And now some 70 young people were cycling there, giving a stern warning about the dangers of submission to a wrong authority. Young people from Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. To my right a German Minister, to my left the ambassador of Poland and the King’s Commissioner in the province of Drenthe was also emphatically present, Mrs Jetta Klijnsma. What a powerful woman! I was delighted and grateful that my speech and the sounds of the shofar were clearly heard and penetrated. As I sit here typing, I feel a lump in my throat. I would like to embrace all those cyclists with gratitude for their great performance and especially for the hard demonstration. Yes, every morning in these days before the Awe-inspiring days of Jewish New Year I get up earlier to say extra prayers, but this gathering was all encouragement and awe-inspiring. A hot shower! I also felt that warm shower this morning in Ede where a meeting was organized by a group of faithful Christians.
In October 2020, representatives of various denominations at the Israeli embassy in The Hague had pleaded guilty for the churches’ negligence towards Jews before, during and after World War II. Now that antisemitism is unfortunately on the rise again, the right question has arisen as to what attitude the churches will adopt at the beginning of the 21st century. Therefore, representatives of churches organized an appeal meeting to speak on this subject. Speakers included Israel’s ambassador, Z.E.N. Gilon and my person. It was clear that those present are pro-Israel. But it also became clear, and I myself have expressed this very emphatically, that the love for Israel is diminishing among the church youth. This concerns me, a concern shared by those in attendance. And yet the symposium was a hot shower, so hot shower number two. I experienced the third shower on Urk, a former island, which is know for its love and support for Israel. In the Town Hall, the ambassador of Israel, two representatives of Christians for Israel and the undersigned, were received by the mayor and his aldermen. Why were we at the Town Hall? From 14:00 to 22:00 there was a magnificent afternoon and evening for ‘The entrepreneurship platform of Christians for Israel’ on Urk.  Of course the ambassador was present again, whom I met there for the third time that day. In the afternoon, the 180 attendees were split in two. Group one was given a tour of the fishing company DaySeaDay and group two was shown around the alleys of Urk. More than €140,000 was raised that evening for the construction of a youth center in Jerusalem. What warmth, what friendship, what enthusiasm and what a honor and how unique that I, as Chief Rabbi, could be a part of such a gathering. Music, a Zoom connection with Israel, a dinner (for Blouma and for me kosher of course) and inspiring speeches. But if you expect me to call this evening the third hot shower, you are wrong! It was not a hot shower, but a boiling hot sauna!


During the corona time, Chief Rabbi Jacobs keeps a diary for the Jewish Cultural
Quarter. NIW publishes these special documents on https://niw.nl/category/dagboek/

Additional Articles

Palestinian ambassador only believes in the human rights of certain people

Almhaissen’s silence is a moral betrayal

When Rula Almhaissen, Palestine’s ambassador to Sweden, was recently interviewed on SVT’s 30 Minutes, her appearance showcased a selective silence that contributes to worsening the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Additionally, it risks contributing to rising antisemitism in Swedish society. She refused to condemn Hamas’ terrorist acts, ignored the growing antisemitism, and did not mention the oppression of LGBTQ+ individuals under Hamas rule. Moreover, she turned a blind eye to Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields.

Almhaissen’s selective view on human rights and her unwillingness to distance herself from all forms of extremism and hate undermine the credibility of her message about peace and justice. If she truly wants to contribute to a solution, she must speak plainly and acknowledge that hate and violence can never be justified. Her silence is not just cowardly; it is dangerous.

Most people have seen the horrific images from October 7 when Hamas carried out a brutal terrorist attack against innocent Israeli civilians, resulting in over a thousand deaths and the taking of hundreds of hostages. But despite the attacks being internationally condemned and Hamas being classified as a terrorist organization by both the EU and the US, Almhaissen avoided calling it what it is—terrorism. By not recognizing these actions as terrorism, she sends a dangerous message: that violence against civilians can be justified in the fight against Israel. How can one claim to advocate for peace while refusing to condemn such acts?

Almhaissen’s passivity becomes even more problematic when looking at the increasing antisemitism in Sweden and Europe. Jewish communities are living under growing threats, and violent hate crimes are on the rise. Despite this, she did not say a word about this problem. Ignoring antisemitism is not only irresponsible, but it also contributes to normalizing hatred against Jews. The situation in Gaza is terrible, but if she truly cares about human rights, why does she remain silent when Jews are threatened in Sweden?

Another issue completely overlooked by the ambassador was Hamas’ tactic of using civilians as human shields. Placing weapons and firing rockets from schools, hospitals, and residential areas in Gaza is not only unethical; it is a war crime. Yet, Almhaissen chose to place all the blame on Israel. How can a diplomat who claims to care about civilians not condemn such a tactic?

The ambassador is likely also grateful that the host did not bring up the dreadful treatment of LGBTQ+ people in Gaza. For many years, they have been subjected to persecution and violence. How can she speak of justice and freedom without highlighting the harsh reality for these people under Hamas’ rule? By not condemning these abuses, she shows that her talk of human rights only applies to certain groups.

Almhaissen’s appearance was a clear example of how avoiding uncomfortable truths can worsen an already complex conflict. By refusing to condemn Hamas’ terror, ignoring antisemitism, downplaying the oppression of LGBTQ+ people, and turning a blind eye to the use of human shields, she showed that her talk of human rights is selective. If she truly wants to promote peace and justice, she must start speaking plainly and distancing herself from all forms of extremism and hate. Regardless of whom she believes is responsible for the situation in Gaza, she should at least be able to say that it is unacceptable for Jews in Sweden to be threatened because of it. That would have been at least decent.

David Lega
Senior Adviser for European Jewish Association

Read the full piece here: https://www.altinget.se/civilsamhalle/artikel/lega-palestinas-ambassador-tror-bara-paa-vissa-personers-manskliga-rattigheter

EJA Whatsapp antisemitism hotline

Been subjected to an antisemitic incident?
Call or text our new Whatsapp antisemitism hotline: +32 484 999 111
Send us a message, day or night, and we can provide help and assistance from your local community and law and order services.

Don’t suffer in silence. We are here for you.
The EJA, in an effort to mitigate the worst effects on Jews across Europe of rising antisemitism has set up a continent-wide dedicated antisemitism whatsapp hotline.
Those who have been subjected to an antisemitic incident can report, day or night, and the EJA will respond with not only support, but with practical help such as direct contact with national authorities and local Jewish community back-up.
We encourage you to share this number with your local community and spread the news- you have someone to turn to in times of trouble.

Opening Session of Our Annual Conference in Amsterdam

We’re pleased to conclude the initial segment of our annual conference in Amsterdam.

Throughout these discussions, we were fortunate to hear insights from esteemed speakers such as Kalman Szalai, President of Action and Protection security League, Dr. Eddo Verdoner, National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism from the Ministry of Justice in The Netherlands, and H.E. Yoav Gallant, Minister of Defence of the State of Israel.

Additionally, we were privileged to receive special guest remarks from Max Lowenstein, Vice-President of NIK Nederlands-Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap, Sydney Bialistock, President of the Amsterdam Jewish Community in the Netherlands, and Pascal Markowitz, an Attorney at the Paris Bar and member of the EJA Legal Forum. Other notable contributors included stefan hansel , Hamburg’s Antisemitism Commissioner from Germany, Thomas Urdy, Advisor to the French Minister for the Fight against discrimination and responsible for combating antisemitism, Ruth Daskalopoulou-Isaac, Head of EU Relations at the European Jewish Association, and Chanan Hertzberger, Chairman of the Central Jewish Committee (CJO) in the Netherlands.

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The European Jewish Association is a prominent and influential organisation dedicated to representing, advocating for, and fostering the interests of the Jewish community across Europe. Founded on unity, tolerance, and inclusivity principles, the EJA bridges diverse Jewish communities and European societies.

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New Cooperation with The Jewish community of Limburg

The European Jewish Association is proud and delighted to welcome another organisation to our growing roster of partners and communities.
We have just concluded and signed a memorandum of understanding with The Jewish community of Limburg (NIHS Limburg).
We very much look forward to work closely together to the benefit of the Limburg jewish community and European Jewry as a whole.

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