On Saturday, March 14th, an explosion occurred at a Jewish school in the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, causing minor damage. The Mayor of Amsterdam stated that this was a “deliberate attack against the Jewish community”.
The explosion damaged the exterior wall of the school located in Buitenveldert, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
The area is known as the modern Jewish district of Amsterdam, housing Jewish synagogues, religious schools, and Jewish restaurants.
Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam expressed that the authorities are taking this incident very seriously and will enhance security measures for Jewish institutions.
Halsema also mentioned that the police have obtained surveillance footage showing an individual placing an explosive device at the school.
“This is a cowardly attack against the Jewish community,” Halsema said. “Jewish people in Amsterdam are increasingly facing threats of anti-Semitism. This is unacceptable.”
The Mayor emphasized that Amsterdam “must be a safe place for Jewish people to reside”.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten of the Netherlands stated that the Netherlands “will not tolerate anti-Semitism”.
“The security of Jewish institutions is our top priority,” he said.
Following the explosion, firefighters and police quickly arrived at the scene. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the police have not yet publicly commented on the possible motive behind the attack.
Reuters reported that this is the only school specifically for Orthodox Jewish people in the Netherlands, and due to previous threats, most areas of the school are surrounded by metal fences with spikes.
This explosion incident is the latest in a series of suspected attacks against the Jewish community in recent weeks. On Friday, March 13th, a Jewish synagogue in Rotterdam was set on fire during the night; on Thursday, March 12th, a shooting and car ramming incident occurred at an Israeli Jewish area including a school in Michigan, USA, resulting in the church being engulfed in flames; and on Monday, March 9th, a Jewish synagogue in Liege, Belgium, exploded and triggered a fire.