Thousands of people convened at Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue on Sunday for the annual Kristallnacht commemoration, 87 years after the Nazi pogrom in which Jewish businesses

across Germany were destroyed and nearly 1,400 synagogues were set ablaze.

Caretaker Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Mariëlle Paul (VVD) and writer Jessica Durlacher addressed attendees. For the first time, a German government official took part in the Amsterdam ceremony. Karin Prien, Germany’s Minister of Education—born in Amsterdam and of Jewish heritage—stressed the enduring importance of remembrance.

“It is unacceptable that Jews still feel unsafe, eighty years after the Holocaust,” Prien said, adding that historical knowledge alone is not enough to prevent future atrocities.

Alongside the main ceremony, an alternative march organized by the anti-Zionist group Erev Rav drew more than a hundred participants. The procession concluded at the Jewish Resistance Monument and was intended for those who feel increasingly disconnected from the traditional commemorations.

“Jews are not the only owners of suffering. We need to look beyond what happened in Germany in 1938 and learn from it,” said David Prins of Erev Rav, citing the situation in Gaza, Dutch responsibilities, and rising discrimination against both Jews and Muslims.

Tensions surrounding Jewish memorial events in the Netherlands have grown in recent years. In 2023, Kristallnacht ceremonies in Breda and Groningen were modified due to safety concerns within local Jewish communities, and the Breda event at the Jewish Monument was canceled altogether. The ongoing conflict in Gaza has further heightened sensitivities as antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands have risen sharply since October 7, 2023. Photo by Wikimedia commons.