‘Pray for peace’: Israel president’s presence causes concern as Netherlands opens Holocaust museum
- The museum in Amsterdam tells the stories of some of the 102,000 Jews deported from the Netherlands and murdered in Nazi camps during World War II
- Isaac Herzog’s presence at the opening ceremony led to protests because of his nation’s offensive against Palestinians in Gaza
The Dutch King Willem-Alexander officially opened his country’s first Holocaust Museum on Sunday, as demonstrators angry at Israel’s military campaign in Gaza protested against the Israeli president, who also addressed the ceremony.
“This museum shows us what devastating consequences anti-Semitism can have,” said the king at a solemn gathering at a nearby synagogue, attended also by Dutch Holocaust survivors.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the museum sent “a clear and powerful statement: remember, remember the horrors born of hatred, anti-Semitism and racism and never again allow them to flourish”.
“Unfortunately never again is now, right now. Because right now, hatred and anti-Semitism are flourishing worldwide and we must fight it together,” added the president.
He called for the “immediate and safe return” of hostages taken by Hamas in its October 7 attacks and urged the congregation to “pray for peace”.
The museum in Amsterdam tells the stories of some of the 102,000 Jews who were deported from the Netherlands and murdered in Nazi camps, as well as the history of their structural persecution under German World War II occupation before the deportations began.