Jews in The Netherlands

Lance, one of my readers, has asked which European country besides Sweden, is seeing an exodus of Jews. Findalis supplied the answer in the below article about the situation in The Netherlands.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/9914

I have previously written about the anti-Jewish climate in The Netherlands, so there's nothing new here. It is a fact. In the case of The Netherlands, it is particularly sad because of the long-standing Jewish presence in that country. Centuries ago, The Netherlands was a place of refuge for Jews fleeing Iberia (Spain and Portugal), when they were being actively persecuted and killed. They established a major center of Judaism in Amsterdam, from which they spread out to the Americas, Brazil, Curacao and other places.

In Amsterdam, The Jewish community distinguished itself in various professions, the arts and education. They made a real contribution to Dutch society.

Of course, during the Third Reich, many German Jews, like the family of Anne Frank, found refuge in Holland, only to be rounded up and perish in the Holocaust.

Now Dutch Jews face a new threat; anti-Semitism that is stoked by Muslim immigrants to The Netherlands. Many of their leaders have recently advised them to leave. Many are taking the advice and getting out rather than put up with the persecution as the government does little or nothing about it.

A few years back, a Spanish writer, whose name I don't recall, lamented the fact that his country had gotten rid of its Jewish population, which had contributed so much to the country and replaced them with an immigrant community that contributed nothing and had no respect for the values and traditions of their newly-adopted country. That is true in many European countries today including Sweden and Holland. I hope they all enjoy their new society.