Dutch Jewish family targeted with fireworks amid ‘nauseating’ years-long torment
Wouter Schmidt said the attack was part of a campaign of harassment against his family which has included shouts of “cancer Jew” and “Jew whore”
The house of a Jewish Dutch family targeted with fireworks this week has said it is simply the latest antisemitic incident in the area.
Wouter Schmidt, whose family lives in Hippolytushoef in the Hollands Kroon municipality, said the attack was part of a years-long harassment against his family which has included shouts of “cancer Jew” and “Jew whore”.
One of Schmidt’s neighbours told a local newspaper that he witnessed the firework attack, saying: “I was awake when the bomb went off. I heard the bang and a plume of smoke was visible far above the roof.”
The town’s mayor said it was a group of teenagers who were reported to be “a nuisance,” adding that the harassment of the family was “nauseating and unacceptable… We are going to look structurally at this group”.
Antisemitic incidents were up 19 percent in 2018 and a recent poll found that almost a half of Jews in the Netherlands fear being insulted or harassed in public.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
