Explosion damages Jewish school in the Netherlands
An explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam caused minor damage, which the mayor described as “a deliberate attack against the Jewish community.”
An explosion at a school in an upscale residential neighborhood in southern Amsterdam early Saturday damaged a rain pipe and burned an outside wall, but caused no injuries.
Mayor Femke Halsema said the incident was taken very seriously and would lead to increased security at Jewish institutions.
“This is a cowardly attack against the Jewish community,” Halsema said.
“Jews in Amsterdam are increasingly facing antisemitism. This is unacceptable.”
The school is the only one in the Netherlands aimed specifically at Orthodox Jews, and is largely surrounded by a jagged metal outer wall due to previous threats.
Security at synagogues and Jewish institutions in the Dutch capital had been increased following an overnight arson attack on a synagogue in central Rotterdam on Friday.
In neighboring Belgium, an explosion caused a fire in a synagogue in Liege on Monday.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten described the attack in Amsterdam as “appalling” and said it had understandably caused “fear and anger” in the Jewish community.
“The security of Jewish institutions receives our full attention,” he said in a post on X.
Following US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the subsequent response from Tehran, concerns about possible attacks on Jewish communities around the world have increased.
