Chief Rabbi: Jews Faced with Reality that They do not belong

On 14 September Queen Beatrix, who will be succeeded today by her son King Willem Alexander, will take official leave from the Dutch people. That date is also Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. Holland’s Chief interprovincial Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs told the daily NRC Handelsblad: “Dutch Jews are again faced with a reality in which they do not belong, and that is painful.” He added that the organizers of the event – a national committee and the court – should have made sure that the date chosen would enable Jews to attend also.     

www.jta.org/news/article/2013/04/28/3125306/dutch-jews-vexed-by-royal-even-on-yom-kippur-rabbi-says

It is Unknown how many Illegals Remain in the Netherlands

The coalition of the Liberal Party (VVD) and the Labor Party (PvdA) wants to make illegal presence in the Netherlands without a residency permit punishable by law. According to the official estimate of the Ministry of Security and Justice, there are about 100,000 people without this permit in the Netherlands. Various aid organizations put the figure between 30,000 and 200,000.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21509441/__Aantal_illegalen_onbekend__.html?view=print

Wiesenthal Center Blasts anti-Semitic Cartoon in Dutch Daily

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center has sent a letter of protest to the Dutch daily Volkskrant for publishing a political cartoon depicting Israel as a threat to world peace alongside North Korea. In the letter Rabbi Cooper wrote, “It seems that tried and true Nazi Jew-hatred imagery still works for at least 38% of your fellow Dutchmen.”

He was referring to the 38% of Dutch respondents to a poll for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation who supported the hate statement that Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians.
www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Rabbi-protests-Dutch-papers-anti-Israel-cartoon-311179

Trade Union: In View of Violence, allow Only Electronic Payment on Buses

The trade union FNV wants to abolish all cash payments on buses and only allow electronic payments. This is in view of violence on buses. Since the beginning of 2013, 6 bus drivers have already been robbed in violent encounters, sometimes under the threat of guns or knives. The last victim had paint sprayed in his face, thereafter, the robber took his cash register. In the town of Almere, a number of bus drivers protested against the violence for some time by no longer taking money and tickets into the bus. This was already two years ago.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3429447/2013/04/21/FNV-wil-af-van-cash-betalen-in-de-bus.dhtml

Dutch Minister: Due to Budget Cuts, Dutch Security will no Longer Monitor Terrorists

Interior Minister, Ronald Plasterk (Labor) has said that the budget cuts on the security services will affect national security. This could mean that the monitoring of left and right wing radicals will stop. The National Security Service (AIVD) has in the meantime warned that jihadist-based terrorism is increasing because of the internet, as it has become easier to inspire others to take up the fight.
www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/print/031421.php

Simon Wiesenthal Center to Deputy Prime Minister: Combat extreme demonization of Israel and the Jews in the Netherlands.

During his visit to the Netherlands last week Rabbi Cooper, the Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, accompanied by former Dutch Parliamentarian Wim Kortenoeven, met Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Ascher. He mentioned to Ascher and other politicians that a German study carried out on behalf of the Social Democratic Friedrich Ebert Foundation found that more than 38% of the Dutch people believe that Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians. He said that this and other types of extreme demonization of Israel and Jews should be a matter of concern for Dutch authorities and society, and asked the Dutch government to combat this. Rabbi Cooper also discussed the plight of Mehmet Sahin, the Dutch Turkish volunteer worker who opposed the Dutch Turkish youngsters who praised the Holocaust, Hitler and the killing of Jewish babies on television. After being verbally attacked and receiving death threats, Sahin was forced into hiding.

www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/167348

Leiden: Schools Closed Because of School Shooting Threat

There is an anonymous threat on an international internet-forum by a person who wrote, "Tomorrow, I will shoot my Dutch teacher, and as many students as I can." Next to the message the weapon is shown which he intends to use, a Colt Defender. As it is not known which school is concerned, all high schools and trade schools in Leiden will remain closed today because of this threat of “school shooting.”
www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/3429476/2013/04/22/Scholen-in-Leiden-gesloten-na-dreiging-schietpartij.dhtml

Dutch Unemployment Figure Soars to 8.1%

Unemployment in the Netherlands is rapidly growing. In March, 30,000 people lost their jobs. This is a further acceleration compared to earlier months of this year when 20,000 people lost their jobs. At present, 643,000 people, or 8.1% of the professional population which wants to work, are without employment. Peter Hein van Mulligen, an economist of the Central Bureau of Statistics said that the age group between 25 and 45 was hit hardest in the past months. This group is the backbone of the professional working force.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3427807/2013/04/18/Werkloosheid-stijgt-sterk-naar-ruim-8-procent.dhtml

High Speed Train Problems even Bigger than Previously Thought

Members of Parliament visited the high speed train Fyra at the repair yard and left even more disillusioned than when they came in. The new trains are no longer used after a short initial and problematic operation. It became clear that only in June will the Dutch railways be able to offer an opinion about the future of the Italian-made trains. In the meantime, the schedule frequency of the older trains from The Hague to Brussels is far too low with only 8 trains a day.   

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/2013/article/print/detail/3420857/Kamerleden-zakt-moed-in-de-schoenen-na-bezoek-aan-Fyra-werkplaats.dhtml

Dutch Meat Scandal Goes International

The Dutch meat scandal has gone international. One hundred and twenty-four German companies have bought meat from the company in the Dutch town of Oss where beef containing horse meat was sold as beef. The Netherlands has informed the Dutch Ministry of Protection about this. In total, 16 European countries have received this meat. The main ones are Germany, France, Spain and Portugal. The German Ministry has said that a variety of beef products containing horse meat from the Netherlands have probably been removed from German companies. Since the beginning of the horse meat scandal in February, major controls are being implemented in Germany.

http://nos.nl/artikel/494455-vlees-oss-bij-124-duitse-bedrijven.html

Many Violent Incidents in Dutch Hospitals

There are about 4,500 cases of violent incidents against hospital employees per year. This results from a study by the AD newspaper. In 1,200 cases, it involved physical violence, such as beatings and kicking. In 200 cases, it was so severe that the perpetrators were forbidden to enter the hospital. The perpetrators are often alcohol and drug abusers, as well as patients with psychological problems. However, there are also many regular people with violent tempers. Minister of Health Edith Schippers of Public Health says that the number of incidents is intolerable. She advises hospitals to complain and investigate when medicaldoctorsare allowed to stop giving medical care, due to aggression.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/4560/Gezond/article/detail/3425948/2013/04/15/Personeel-ziekenhuizen-geplaagd-door-geweld.dhtml

Extremists Incite Young Muslims to Jihad

Dutch mosques claim that organizations Sharia4Holland, Behind Bars and officially dissolved Sharia4Belgium are networks for young very orthodox Jihad fighters. They also mentioned Straat Dawah, which is officially no longer in existence. It is not clear to what extent these organizations explicitly call for their members to leave to fight in Syria. According to radicalization expert Halim el Madkouri of Forum, an institute for multi-cultural problems, it is feared that these organizations may become part of, for instance, Ansar al Sharia, an Islamistic organization which is suspected of having killed the American Ambassador in Libya.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3425950/2013/04/15/Extremisten-jutten-jonge-moslims-op.dhtml

Major Dutch Meat Scandal

The Inspector General of the Dutch Food and Commodities Authority (NVWA) Harry Paul, has said that the meat of thousands of horses has possibly been mixed with beef and sold as such. In one fifth of samples of beef taken from the company, horse meat was found. Fifty million kilos of meat from the Dutch Selten Company have to be removed from the marketplace. The NVWA doesn’t know whether the meat has been checked at all and whether it contains remnants of drugs, or whether sick animals have been slaughtered. The company says that recently one mistake has been made and some horse meat and beef have been mixed.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3424966/2013/04/12/Vleesverwerker-Selten-verwerkte-mogelijk-duizenden-paarden.dhtml

Cyber Attack Frequently Disturbs Website of Major Dutch Bank

Recently there have been frequent cyber attacks on Dutch institutional websites. One of the major victims has been the ING Bank. Large quantities of data were sent to the server. This made internet banking impossible for prolonged periods. In addition, the bank has had some technical problems. A week ago, the bank had a major disturbance which caused clients to view incorrect balances on their site. The bank has offered its apologies. ING has made a complaint to the police and the prosecution has started a criminal investigation.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2680/Economie/article/detail/3423041/2013/04/09/Opnieuw-cyberaanval-op-ING.dhtml

Putin: The Netherlands has a Pedophile Club, Russia Doesn’t

Russian President Vladmir Putin has visited the Netherlands. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke with him on the position of sexual minorities and human rights in Russia. Putin said that sexual minorities are not discriminated against in Russia. He added that the Netherlands has a pedophile club, which Russia doesn’t have and that there is a Christian party in the Netherlands which forbids female parliamentarians. He said that all Russian parties can have female candidates.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3422391/2013/04/08/Poetin-Nederland-heeft-pedofielenclub-Rusland-niet.dhtml

Staff of Jails Threaten Strike

The staff of all jails and clinics for prisoners will strike if Deputy Minister Fred Teeven will not start negotiations with them before 18 April on the proposed savings plan. According to the plan, a number of jails may have to close. The trade unions ask that employees have to be involved in negotiations in the plan and alternative work has to be proposed for personnel who lose their jobs. If Teeven doesn’t accept this, there will be a general strike of jail personnel on 25 April.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3422624/2013/04/09/Gevangenispersoneel-dreigt-met-staking.dhtml

Municipality to Honor Nazi Soldiers

The official representatives of the municipality of Bronckhorst will honor the fallen soldiers of Nazi Germany buried there on Dutch National Memorial Day, 4 May. This was decided by the municipality. Last year, this was forbidden by a judge. It was overturned by a Higher Court recently. (One may recall that the wartime German army, the Wehrmacht participated in mass executions of Jews and other civilians during the Second World War.)

www.refdag.nl/nieuws/binnenland/bronckhorst_loopt_mee_langs_duits_graf_1_726376

Netherlands Second as Supplier of Jihadists to Syria

The Netherlands is the second European supplier of jihadists to Syria, after the U.K. This results from a one year study by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College in London. The project was led by Professor Peter Neumann. European jihadists are between 7 and 11 percent of the total number of foreign jihadists there. In 2012, about 134 British jihadists came to Syria, 107 from the Netherlands, 92 from France, 85 from Belgium, 78 from Denmark and 40 from Germany.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21452904/__Nederland_topleverancier_jihad__.html

Complaints about Child Porn double in Three Years

In 2012, the number of complaints about child porn on Dutch websites was almost 20,000. This was announced by the Monitoring Center Child Porno. Eleven thousand and five hundred of them were punishable by law. Almost 9,700 of them were on Dutch servers. Seventy-six percent of the victims are girls, 15% are boys and most of the remainder was boys and girls together.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3420037/2013/04/04/Veel-meer-meldingen-kinderporno-bij-meldpunt.dhtml

Amsterdam Fined Concentration Camp Survivors after War

It has now become known, more than 65 years after the Second World War that the city of Amsterdam fined hundreds of Jewish Holocaust survivors for tax avoidance when they were in concentration camps or hiding from the Nazis. This was exposed by the daily Het Parool and has been picked up by the Washington Times. Numerous Jewish homes were then confiscated and occupied by Dutch Nazi members. Amsterdam continued with its tax policy even as other municipalities waived their debts.
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/2/amsterdam-taxed-fined-holocaust-jews-hiding-and-na/print/

2011: Increase in Major anti-Semitic Incidents

The number of complaints about severe anti-Semitic incidents received by the police has increased from nineteen in 2010 to thirty in 2011. This concerns intentional insults, threats, physical abuse and graffiti on buildings. The total number of anti-Semitic incidents has remained about the same at 2,700. Most concern lesser forms such as name-calling. In most cases, youths between 15 and 19 are suspected of anti-Semitic incidents. This study was done by the Verwey-Jonker Institute on behalf of the Anne Frank Foundation.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3417085/2013/03/28/Meer-zware-antisemitische-incidenten-gemeld.dhtml