An explosion at an orthodox Jewish school in Amsterdam is being investigated as a deliberate attack, heightening fears within the community.
AMSTERDAM: An explosion lightly damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam early on Saturday, in what the city’s mayor described as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community.
The blast occurred at the school in an upscale residential neighbourhood on the city’s south side. It damaged a rainpipe and charred an outer 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 act of aggression against the Jewish community,” Halsema said.
“Jewish people in Amsterdam are increasingly confronted with antisemitism. This is unacceptable,” she added.
The school is the only one specifically for orthodox Jews in the Netherlands. It is largely fenced off by a pointed, metal outer wall due to earlier threats.
Security at synagogues and Jewish institutions in the Dutch capital had already been heightened. This followed an overnight arson attack at a synagogue in the centre of Rotterdam on Friday.
In neighbouring Belgium, an explosion caused a fire at a synagogue in Liege on Monday.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the attack in Amsterdam “horrible”. He said it understandably caused “fear and anger” in the Jewish community.
“The safety of Jewish institutions has our full attention,” he said in a post on X.
Concerns about possible attacks against Jewish communities around the world have risen. This follows recent U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran and a subsequent response from Tehran.
