Statement regarding the War in Israel and Gaza

The Jewish Cultural Quarter is profoundly concerned by the war and the consequences this conflict has had, first and foremost for the citizens of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. We stand for a just and secure resolution for all those directly involved. There can be no question regarding Israel’s right to exist and we support the right of Palestinians to autonomy.

We are also deeply alarmed by the impact that the war is having in the Netherlands. The reduction to black-and-white opposites and apparently incompatible arguments – oppressed against oppressor, good against bad, truth against lie. This polarisation has spread hatred toward Jews and Islamophobia. It takes courage to speak out against injustice. It takes courage to recognise that the real world is complex and contradictory, and that our empathy need not be confined to one side.

At the heart of the Jewish Cultural Quarter’s mission is the desire to build a just society in the Netherlands by signalling the danger of dehumanising and excluding those who live among us. That is the message in the National Holocaust Museum, our presentation, our educational programme and our events.

This horrific war and its consequences in the Netherlands make our mission all the more urgent.