by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – An explosion damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam early Saturday in what authorities described as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community, raising alarm after recent assaults on synagogues in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium.
The incident also comes as intelligence agencies in Europe and the United States remain on heightened alert for possible attacks by Iran-backed groups and sleeper cells following U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.
Dutch police said suspects arrived on a motor scooter and placed an explosive device against the exterior wall of the building before fleeing moments before the blast. The explosion caused limited damage but no injuries, officials said.
A group calling itself the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right claimed responsibility for the attack and later posted what it said was footage of the explosion. The video, which police said they were examining, appeared to show a suspect placing an explosive device and igniting it before it detonated. No injuries were reported, and emergency services quickly arrived at the scene.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema condemned the incident as a deliberate attack targeting the Jewish community and warned that antisemitism has become an increasing concern in the Dutch capital.
ATTACK FOLLOWS SYNAGOGUE INCIDENTS
The explosion came shortly after an overnight arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam, where an explosive device triggered a fire near the entrance of the building. Authorities later detained several teenagers in connection with the investigation.
Earlier in the week, a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège was also damaged in an explosion that authorities described as an antisemitic attack.
Security around Jewish institutions in the Netherlands has since been tightened as investigators examine whether the incidents are connected.
Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Zvi Aviner-Vapni, said the attacks reflect a troubling rise in antisemitism.
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR CONCERNED
“I am very concerned about the rapid increase in violence and antisemitism in the Netherlands,” he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (The Telegraph), the country’s largest daily.
“We expect the government to do everything possible to stop this, because this historic Jewish community in your country must be safe,” the ambassador added.
He also warned that hostility toward Jews — including incidents reported on university campuses — may be contributing to a climate in which such attacks occur.
The Netherlands has about 30,000 to 35,000 Jews, representing roughly 0.2 percent of the population, with the largest communities located in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague.
IMPACT OF HOLOCAUST STILL FELT
Before the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, about 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands, but most were murdered during the Nazi occupation in World War II.
Today, Jewish institutions such as schools and synagogues operate under heightened security due to antisemitic threats that have increased in recent years.
Some commentators and right-wing political parties say the rise in antisemitism is partly linked to radicalized Muslims among migrants from mainly Islamic countries who they claim refuse to integrate into Dutch society, which they describe as rooted in Judeo-Christian traditions. Left-leaning parties and analysts have accused those critics of fueling polarization.
While the debate continues, Naomi Mestrum, director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI), said the attacks have created anxiety among Dutch Jews.
AMSTERDAM-BORN FRITS BAREND REACTS
Mestrum said the Jewish community appreciates the heavy security around schools and synagogues but stressed that security measures alone cannot address the underlying hostility.
Amsterdam-born Jewish journalist and media personality Frits Barend said he was deeply shocked by the attack on the Jewish school. “My family in Israel sits in a shelter every two hours,” he said, referring to the ongoing security situation there.
While he said the circumstances are different, the attack in Amsterdam still came as a heavy blow. “A school should above all be a safe place,” Barend said, adding that attacks on Jewish institutions appear intended to spread fear within the community.
Authorities are analyzing security footage and social-media videos linked to the attacks, which investigators believe may help identify those responsible. Police have not yet confirmed whether the incidents in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Liège are connected.
However, the attacks have raised concern among Jewish leaders and officials that antisemitic violence in Europe could escalate if the perpetrators are not quickly apprehended.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.