Dutch PM Rob Jetten installs mezuzah at home in solidarity with Jewish community
Speaking at a Kristallnacht memorial, Jetten warned of rising antisemitism and pledged to protect Jewish life in the Netherlands amid tensions with Israel
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten revealed that he had recently installed a mezuzah on the doorpost of his home as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish community amid rising antisemitism.
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He announced the gesture on Monday evening during a ceremony at Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue commemorating the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the anti-Jewish pogroms carried out by the Nazis on November 9 and 10, 1938.
Jetten said he had received the mezuzah, decorated in the traditional blue Delftware style, from Rabbi Yanki Jacobs, head of Chabad on Campus in the Netherlands.
“Apparently, fewer and fewer people are putting a mezuzah on their doorposts to avoid negative reactions,” he lamented.
Jetten explained that he had decided to install one at his home because he wanted “to be the prime minister of a country where Jewish life is visible.”
In his speech, the Dutch leader expressed concern about the insecurity felt by some members of the Jewish community, including those considering leaving the country.
“I would like to ask those people not to give in. Because this is your home. The Netherlands is our shared home,” he said.
Referring to the massacres carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Jetten described them as tragic proof that anti-Jewish violence remains a present-day threat.
He also announced that his government had allocated additional funding to strengthen security at Jewish institutions, while emphasizing that the fight against antisemitism could not be limited to policing measures.
Jetten's remarks come amid heightened tensions between the Netherlands and Israel.
The Dutch government has banned imports of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, prompting a diplomatic response from Israel.
On Sunday, more than 200,000 people, according to organizers, participated in an anti-Israel demonstration in Amsterdam, demanding tougher sanctions against the Jewish state.
Jetten, who had participated in a similar protest the previous year, was not present at Sunday's rally.
By choosing to display a symbol traditionally associated with Jewish homes, the prime minister sought to defend the Jewish community's place in Dutch society.
He recalled that Jews fleeing Nazi persecution in 1938 had often found the Netherlands' borders closed.
According to Jetten, that historical responsibility makes it imperative to ensure that Jewish citizens today can live freely and safely without having to conceal their identity.