The number of antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands in 2024 reached a record high, according to the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI’s) Antisemitic Incident Monitor, which was published on Thursday.
"We are now talking about an antisemitism crisis, which requires crisis measures," the report warned.
A total of 421 antisemitic incidents were registered in 2024, an 11% increase compared to 2023.
This is the highest number since CIDI started monitoring antisemitism 40 years ago, showing that "antisemitism in the Netherlands is increasing at an alarming rate."
The average number of antisemitic incidents in the decade between 2012 and 2022 was 138 per year, meaning the last two years have marked an increase of 305%.
CIDI stressed that the number of reports it received throughout 2024 was significantly higher, numbering around 1700. However, only a quarter of these (the above-mentioned figure of 421) were judged to be irrefutably antisemitic.
It is worth noting that CIDI did not include incidents on social media or criticism of Israel.
Sharp increase in physical incidents and vandalism
Public antisemitism increased by 45% in 2024. CIDI reported that individuals who are recognizably Jewish were more often confronted with insults, threats, and intimidation.
Vandalism against Jewish targets also went up by 44%. This included incidents such as mezuzahs being torn from doorposts and Jewish cemeteries and monuments being defaced.
According to the monitor, the Israel-Hamas war was a catalyst for antisemitism in the Netherlands, with the lowest point considered to be on November 7, 2024, when Israeli supporters of the Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv football match were "hunted" down in Amsterdam.
Dozens were wounded, and more than 50 arrests were made; the trials for which are still ongoing.
Call for strong government policy
CIDI called for a strong and consistent government policy to "put a stop to this worrying development."
It added that "too often we see that Holocaust education is presented in policy proposals as the solution to antisemitism," referring to this approach as "inadequate" and "risky."
"Antisemitism is a deep-rooted and persistent problem that requires a broad, coherent approach. This means investing in education, but also a strong and visible approach to antisemitism in schools and social media, stopping subsidies for cultural institutions that exclude Jewish artists, banning terrorist and extremist groups that spread hatred, and applying a zero-tolerance policy in the criminal prosecution of antisemitic expressions and crimes."
Furthermore, the monitor stressed that the figures for the first quarter of 2025 indicate that the increase is not stopping, meaning that most likely the number of antisemitic incidents "will once again break a sad record in 2025."
Eddo Verdoner, National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism (NCAB): "Unfortunately, the number of reports remains high. The figures clearly show the dividing line: since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the number of reports of antisemitism has increased enormously. That is the bitter reality. But we should never accept that as normal."
"Of the total number of discrimination offences registered by the Public Prosecution Service in 2024, 37% involved antisemitism," Verdoner added. "While only 0.3% of the Dutch population is Jewish. Jewish Dutch people are therefore overrepresented as victims of discrimination."
