Deborah Feldman on her book Judenfetisch

‘The German government's unconditional support for Israel is not only based on historical guilt but also assumes a one-sided view of who Jews are: right-wing and pro-Israel,’ says Deborah Feldman, author of the bestseller Unorthodox. According to Feldman, it has little to do with protecting Jews. During this program at the Rode Hoed (November 8, 2025), Feldman discussed the phenomenon of Jew fetish - a non-Jewish obsession with everything Jewish. She unravelled the mechanisms behind philosemitism and argues that this form of Jew-loving is in fact antisemitic.

After Feldman's lecture, Mirthe Frese spoke with David Wertheim, Lievnath Faber, and Emile Schrijver about how philosemitism in the Netherlands translates into support for Israel, and how combating antisemitism is used for political gain. Feldman argues that she and many of her German-Jewish friends have felt unrepresented by politicians or dignitaries in the Jewish community since October 7, 2023. To what extent does this feeling resonate with the small but politically, religiously, and culturally diverse Jewish community in the Netherlands?

In 2025, the Jewish Museum explored the impact of the war in Gaza on Dutch society through a series of six public programs at different venues different. This event is part of the And now?! programme and was supported by the Netty Rosenfeld Fund