SHOAH AND DEPORTATION (1939-1945)

AJAX – MACCABI TEL AVIV AND DEPORTATION (2024)

Political striking parallel in 2024

As different people and groups have their own take in what happened while facts are being collected, I share my own insight based on reflection.

Question

Why did the Netherlands in percentage deported many of their Jewish citizens than many other European countries? 

Considering how many Jewish people were living in the Netherlands and how that were deported to the concentration camps.

The political call on deportation measure against Dutch citizens is a striking rehearsal of reality in our time. Though the call for deportation is not against the Jewish citizens, but it does not make it less a concern. This unfolding developing, bringing the society into a new historical reality, needs sensitive thoughts devoid of hatred and vengeance acts.

After the violence incident against Jewish citizens in Amsterdam last week, Thursday 7 November 2024, during the Amsterdam Ajax football club match against Maccabi Tel Aviv. There has been a call from political bodies and the ruling party to start deporting Dutch citizens to a yet unclear destination.

In 1994, after I went through the SHOAH historical documents. One question that remained unanswered to me which I tried to get answered by many different professors from different academic disciplines relating to the matter was this question.

Why did the Netherlands in percentage deported most of their Jewish citizens than many other European countries?

While the Netherlands was not known as an anti-Jewish nation.  All the Dutch professors and academicians I approached with this question seemed to have never given it any thought before because all were guessing with maybe and perhaps. Some tried to think about the government system of the Netherlands as a possible main cause. It was my first year at the theology school. The question did not leave me. It was now 30 years ago. I think I am coming close to the answer.

Jewish and Islam

The incident is being narrowed down to Jewish and Moslim relationship as the cause. These two parties are being discussed, and their relationship in sharing many cultural issues in common seemed forgotten. The Third party in the incident, namely the government, seemed to be absent. The government is searching for answers outside herself. It focuses more in her authority to prevent such an eruption of physical violence.

What is missing in this search is that their words are powerful and have effect.

The Three decades of speaking the words of division among citizens. Three decades of sowing seeds of hatred, polarization and grooming the politics of discord. Some politicians were in competition of who will be most extreme and shocking in language use against certain groups of Dutch citizens with migrant’s background. Strikingly, the majority were groomed by one political party, which is still governing the nation. Their words have manifested a result foreseen. The next step is set. Tongues dripping with deportation of Dutch citizens is where we find the nation.

In the past, the Jewish and Islam had on some occasions come together as one body to defend their culture and religion practice against the government policy. In the case of ritual killing of animals for their food culture. Such moments showed an example of lack of sensitivity and acceptance of the government in her service to her citizens who happen to have a cultural and ethical criteria for their mind and health care.

The government should be keen to learn to adjust in the society. The life and wellbeing of the citizens is an important work of the government, next to protection of properties.

INTEGRATION or ASSIMILATION

The call for integration as the missing link that fueled the attack seemed strange. The history of the Jewish people showed that their successful integration did not bring acceptance to them. Rather, it was used against them. How can we say now that lack of integration is the cause of the problems in the society?  Is this not shifting the cause and source to accuse and blame the effect?

Integration is not one-sided education. It is both ways. Above all integration in the Netherlands is a very difficult issue because the Dutch society is open to everyone to be here with their culture and food, but integration goes down to culture, which is to be found in Dutch people themselves.

Only in encounter you can learn the culture. Culture is very deep. Dutch people are not open people, even the idea of being straight is not in the cultural aspect that will archive the real integration of foreigners. Even if integration means assimilation in disguise, one still needs encounter with Dutch culture to interact with. The reality is that the migrants shall therefore always lack to fulfill the expectations of the Dutch. The same blame shall continue. In that case, the so-called integration is not the way to solve what has been in the Netherlands culture before the migrants arrived. Dutch history has shown us this.

We are in scientific society and era where the real truth is discerned by probing and research. When the Shoah happened, it was not this group that caused it. As what happened is a reminder of the Shoah, should not the caused be searched further? There is a parallel historical repetition which has the same roots and bears the same fruits. The present story is unfolding to the former repetition. The Jewish community were one of the most successful integrated migrant groups in many European countries, including present Netherlands. It was used against them. They faced what many migrants’ root citizens face in the present time. Namely, discrimination in the labor market and so on. They created their own employment in business and trading to survive. They were blessed and become successful in it. It was used against them. All their efforts to belong and all the hatred against them led to the ultimate vengeance of SHOAH.

Government role

Is there a real desire to move to the society that is truly civilized and peaceful, then the government is responsible in educating the citizens. It is evidential that the present society and what we see happening is successful outcome of the education of the political parties and government for the last three decades. As I witnessed. That is what we see. The education started against the migrant’s roots, who were declared unwelcome and unwanted. The discouragement policy (ontmoedingsbeleid) led to policies of what is presently called institutionalized racism and discrimination. The effect of such policies is present and stands out.

I read about people who are shocked in seeing what is happening. It will be strange and absurd if after all the effort to come so far, the present result will not be a reality. There was much investment at government level and the citizens. It is not strange if investment bears result.

The next step is deportation policy, which we hear loud and clear. The response is silence, which means that all agreed. As Dutch said, he who is silent agreed. I do not agree that this is the way to go because at the end of it all will suffer, especially those who thinks it is not about them now, will after getting through their shock, discover they are the next in turn. History has shown that everybody got affected. Such senseless suffering is uncalled-for to any human being.

A way out

The way to go is what I wrote in my letter to the mayor, published on 1 of November 2024. The local government should take her sacred service to serve all citizens. This is her basic responsibility as the closest government to the citizens. The mayor should practice a non-corruption policy. This is explained in the book. The tripod government body should be transparent in justice affairs that bear the fruit of joy which leads to peace. Only the government can archive this joy that brings peace in the life of the citizens and thereby a peaceful society. A government cannot fuel the education of hatred and discord among citizens and expect the fruit of peace. The word corruption here means being unequal before the same law. When the law and justice are no more blind in probing and execution, then that law is corrupt, and it is no more in its natural state. It is manipulated for whatever reason. When the trias Politica let this happen for whatever reason then the institutions are corrupt. Corruption has the seed of what is going on and what we are observing and sometimes being shocked that it is happening before us. Only the government can correct it and not the citizens because it is the government that educates their citizens who elect them. The basic work of the government is done at the local government level. The first responsibility is at the local government level.  My book explains this vividly with examples of the reality of today.