NETHERLANDS: SPECIAL ENVOY RICKMAN FINDS LITTLE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 000460 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: SPECIAL ENVOY RICKMAN FINDS LITTLE ANTI-SEMITISM THE HAGUE 00000460 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. SUMMARY: During a May 22-25 visit to Amsterdam, Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism Gregg Rickman and Karen Paikin met with Jewish community leaders, local government officials, scholars, and NGOs. Rickman found relatively little anti-Semitism in the Netherlands during discussions on verbal abuse and violence, anti-Semitism vs. anti-Israel policy, other political concerns, right-wing extremists, and Jewish-Muslim community relations (para 3-10). Rickman also shared ideas with Dutch contacts on ways to reduce anti-Semitism (para 11). Rickman reviewed his findings during an interview with the press, and he also addressed students about U.S. efforts to reduce anti-Semitism (para 12-13). A complete list of contacts for the visit is available at the end of this cable (para 14). END SUMMARY. ¶2. BACKGROUND: The Jewish community in the Netherlands numbers 30 to 50 thousand according to different commentators. The Jewish population declined by 100 thousand after the deportations and genocide of World War II. The Sephardic community dates back to the 1500s, when Jews fled Spain and Portugal. The Ashkenazi community has also been present in Amsterdam for hundreds of years. END BACKGROUND. Relatively Little Anti-Semitism -------------- ¶3. Verbal abuse: Peter Rodriguez, of the Anne Frank Foundation, and Igor Boog, research team leader at the Dutch government,s leading anti-discrimation organization (Article 1),indicated there are roughly 150 complaints of anti-semitic hate speech or discrimination each year. Meir Villegas of the Center for Documentation and Information on Israel (CIDI) noted an increase in the seriousness of verbal threats ) with not just abusive language but also physical threats (Note: Villegas also added that gays receive more threats than Jews. Boog expressed concern about the statistical validity of any conclusions in the Anti-Defamation League's report on Anti-Semitism. End note.) Several commentators cited events during the Netherlands, Memorial Day celebrations four or five years ago, when a number of Morrocan youth shouted anti-Jewish slurs during a moment of silence, and played soccer with memorial wreaths. ¶4. Verbal abuse, personal accounts: Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen reported receiving some anti-Jewish mail, mostly from outside �0A;Amsterdam, from right-wing groups. Rabbi Ten Brink, head of the Jewish Liberal Community, indicated that he had not heard complaints of verbal abuse from his congregation, but had been the target of anti-Jewish remarks on two occasions. He also heard that opponents of the Ajax soccer team, which is viewed by some as a &Jewish team,8 had shouted &Hamas8 during some games. Joel Cahen, Director of the Jewish Historical Museum, said his museum had received some hate mail. Cahen has at times sensed an &under the table8 anti-Semitism directed at him. At the same time, he noted that at the 60th anniversary celebration for Israel included three thousand guests, more than half of them Christians. ¶5. Violence: Most commentators indicated that violence toward Jews in the Netherlands is rare; graffiti and verbal abuse are the main problems. At the same time, several commentators noted that Jews wearing Yarmulkes do not feel safe visiting certain parts of Amsterdam. The Jewish community employs security guards to protect synagogues. On the other hand, Joel Cahen said his museum had not received telephone or other threats. ¶6. Anti-Semitism vs. Anti-Israel Policy: Several commentators independently stated that it was difficult for many members of the Muslim community to separate events in the Middle East, and particularly the activities by the state of Israel, from the views of the Jewish community in the Netherlands. Rabbi Ten Brink indicated that Israel-Palestine debates &might be the core problem8 of anti-Semitism in the Netherlands. ¶7. Other political concerns: Some members of the Jewish community sought more police protection for synagogues (Note: in a follow-up discussion between the acting CG and Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen, the mayor indicated that he would increase protection in response to specific threats against the synagogues or cultural centers. End note.) In addition to security issues, a few members of the Jewish community expressed concern about draft legislation against ritual slaughter, which would affect Kosher butchers and the Jewish community's access to Kosher meat, and proposals against female genital mutilation, which might possibly affect circumcision practices. Finally, some members of the community indicated that school exams sometimes take place on Jewish holidays, and that individuals have been fired for THE HAGUE 00000460 002.2 OF 003 taking off work days for a Jewish holiday. (Note: Legal remedies are available in the Netherlands for discrimination in education and the workplace. End note.) Rabbi Ten Brink sees some of the right wing parties, such as Geert Wilders, Freedom Party and Rita Verdonk,s Proud of the Netherlands Party, as threatening because they attack Islam, &which is bad for us.8 ¶8. Right-wing extremists: According to Cahen, the Dutch generally are more anti-Semitic than the Moroccan or Turkish communities. According to Ten Brink, the right wing extremists generally target the Muslim community rather than Jews. Rodriguez indicated that hate speech and hate materials on the Internet seemed to be on the rise, particularly via U.S. websites. According to Van Donselaar, the far right has not committed any serious violent acts but has demonstrated a &fascination with explosives.8 Villegas of CIDI indicated that the &right wing is so marginalized that we as Jews don,t have to worry.8 ¶9. The Muslim community: Commentators identified Moroccan Muslim youth as the source of most verbal assaults. Mustafa Baba, a researcher at the cultural consultancy Mex-It, gave an overview of the Muslim community, noting that Islam was not an issue for the Netherlands ten to fifteen years ago -- there were instead &migrant8 issues. The events of September 11 and the murder of filmmaker van Gogh changed the debate. Now the Muslim community is aware of its diversity and is very divided. Moroccans make up 60-70 per cent of the population, and Turks most of the remainder. (Note: Baba probably was referring to the Amsterdam population. Within the Netherlands, Turks make up about 44 per cent, and Moroccans about 39 per cent, of the Muslim population. End note.) Although the conservative/orthodox community is relatively small, it dominates the public debate. Baba also noted that it is difficult for native Dutch to adapt in communities that have changed in the past few years to 80-90 per cent Moroccan. At the same time, the Amsterdam police should hire more Muslim officers, and there has been abusive language and discrimination against Muslims within the police corps. ¶10. Muslim community, continued: On a more existential level, Baba and Professor Scheffer of the University of Amsterdam noted that the Muslim community is facing great tension within itself, particularly among first and second generations. The first generation experiences a sense of loss of its home culture, while the second generation may not feel at home in the Netherlands but is quickly adopting Dutch patterns of living, such as a low birth rate. Scheffer recalled attending a service with a Lebanese imam preaching against women attending the cinema alone -- a young Dutch Muslim woman attending the service publicly responded that she was working on her law degree, would soon be practicing law, and that she rejected his ideas. Scheffer thought it was an open question whether Muslim migrants would be able to adapt, but he believes they probably will: &Muslims will get addicted to our open society.8 Scheffer and Mayor Cohen dismissed the idea that Muslims would make up 50 per cent of the population by 2050. Efforts to Reduce Anti-Semitism -------------- ¶11. The events of past memorial days (para 3) have prompted leaders to reach out with a variety of initiatives to reduce anti-Semitism and inter-community tensions: -- Arco Verburg, Chairman of the De Baarsjes district council in Amsterdam, described efforts to reach out to immigrants, youth, and Moroccans in particular to explain the purpose of Dutch Memorial Day celebrations. Youth now participate in the event with banners and flowers. -- Verburg also described an annual Jewish-Moroccan football tournament. -- Verburg,s colleague, Aaron Brugmans, described an effort by Jewish leaders to participate in Iftar celebrations. Imams were surprisingly open to the idea, according to Brugmans. -- Abdel Betti, a local government employee in Amsterdam, organized a visit to Auschwitz by 35 Muslims during May 2008. The group included four imams; most participants were in their fifties. The individuals were very moved by the experience, &it opened their eyes,8 and Betti plans follow-on meetings to discuss how to share their experience more broadly within the Muslim community. A short documentary of the visit was played on Dutch television. Betti would like to organize future trips but depends on THE HAGUE 00000460 003.2 OF 003 government funding. -- Brugmans plans to invite &Muslim grandfathers8 and their grandkids to the famous Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam for tea. -- Rabbi Ten Brink started a dialogue with Christians and Muslims, including a &trialogue Pesach Seder8 that emphasizes to participants their common experience in the Netherlands, while playing down events in the Middle East. Ten Brink noted he also works with his counterparts of other faiths to condemn any attacks, but that is difficult. -- Rodriguez of the Anne Frank Foundation has worked on anti-Semitism training for three thousand Dutch police. -- The Anne Frank Foundation has developed graphic (comic) books on World War II and the Holocaust, as well as teaching materials on anti-Semitism, and traveling exhibits. -- Baba of Mex-It has developed a training program for local police on religion and radicalization. Press Interview, Student Outreach -------------- ¶12. The Dutch press agency (ANP) interviewed Rickman on May ¶24. ANP quoted Rickman saying that &I heard stories here about verbal abuse and of some being afraid to go to certain neighborhoods. However, the situation is not as bad here as in some other countries. I know of no cases of physical violence against the Jews in the Netherlands.8 The article quotes Rickman citing rising anti-Semitism in other parts of Europe, and urging governments to counter anti-Semitism. ¶13. Also on May 24, Rickman n reviewed their efforts in a meeting with 50 members of the European Union of Jewish Students, who were meeting in Amsterdam. Contacts on Anti-Semitism -------------- ¶14. Rickman and Paikin met with the following individuals: Jewish Historical Museum, Director J. Cahen Arco Verburg, Chairman of &De Baarsjes8 District Council Rabbi Menno ten Brink, Jewish-Liberal Community Igor Boog, Director and chief researcher, Article 1 National Association against Discrimination, Anne Frank Foundation Director J.F. Westra, senior researchers Peter R. Rodrigues and Jaap van Donselaar Mustafa Baba, prominent Muslim spokesman from Mex-it Senator Uri Rosenthal, VVD (Liberal) party Meir Villegas Henriquez, senior researcher on anti-Semitism, Center for Documentation and Information on Israel (CIDI) Professor Scheffer, University of Amsterdam Public Diplomacy officer David Barnouw and Dr. Wichert ten Have, director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide studies Abdel Betti, Slotervaart District Council employee Jacques Grishaver of the Netherlands Auschwitz Committee Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen David Serphos, Director NIHS, with Rabbi Evers and members of Board of NIHS European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) Foster