For Dutch Jews, Wilders is a 'delicate subject'

The Dutch Jewish community is divided over Geert Wilders, the controversial populist politician. He is a staunch supporter of Israel, but many feel his treatment of Muslims brings back unpleasant memories.

Geert Wilders' populist-right PVV party has left the Netherlands divided, but in one Jewish family in Amsterdam, the rift runs right across the dinner table. The family's youngest son (17) is sympathetic towards Wilders, in part because of his unwavering loyalty to Israel. In his mother, Annette Atiya, the PVV evokes feelings of discomfort. "I feel many of Wilders' remarks, such as the one regarding head scarves, [Wilders has described them in derogatory terms and called for a tax on them] are part of a witch hunt against a specific segment of the population. That reminds me of the anti-Semitic rabble-rousing that went on before the war," Atiya said.

Atiya talks to her son about it. He is "an intelligent and reasonable boy," according to his mother and attends an Orthodox-Jewish school. "I'll ask him questions like: 'Wilders stayed away from another debate. Why is that?' That does make my son think," Atiya said. But she added that her son often responded by complaining about the frequent taunts Jewish boys wearing skullcaps are subjected to by their Moroccan peers. Atiya did not want her son to figure prominently in this article. "This is a delicate matter, after all," she explained.

A topic of controversy

Affiliation with or disassociation from Wilders is a hot topic amongst the 40,000 Dutch Jews. One Jewish businessman, Gidi Markuszower, decided to run on the PVV's ballot for the forthcoming parliamentary election. But he soon had to withdraw his candidacy after coming under fire for his controversial remark that voices critical of Israel should be banned and for carrying a firearm at a Jewish rally.

Markuszower’s actions are not the cause of the PVV controversy in the Jewish community however. A covert debate has been going on for much longer. In synagogues, at the celebration of Israeli Independence day last week, in the columns of the Nieuw Israelietisch Weekblad (New Israeli Weekly) and at the butcher's. "It is a topic of discussion," admitted rabbi Raphael Evers of the conservative Jewish community in Amsterdam. He declined further comment.

On the Friday before Markuszower withdrew his candidacy, Jewish bakery Lamaronne was packed with customers. Here, in the middle of Amsterdam's Buitenveldert neighbourhood, home to a sizable Jewish population, eager shoppers had gathered on the eve of the Sabbath to buy traditional Jewish baked goods like challah. The store, which is under rabbinic supervision, clearly was a meeting place as well as a baker to its clientele, who greeted each other enthusiastically.

The baker, an Israeli who lived in Antwerp for years, was kind enough to offer free coffee, but he was less forthcoming with political opinions. "I don't know anything about that," he said. His clients were more willing to comment. Most wanted to remain anonymous, however, because, as they said, "it is a delicate matter". One Israeli mentioned that he was ashamed of Wilders. "Israel can do without friends like him. To me, he is a racist." A Danish woman was more positive. "As a foreigner, I feel foreigners should either adapt or leave the Netherlands," she said, referring to Wilders’ harsh stand on immigrants, Muslims especially, who don’t support Dutch values.

Annette Atiya said she took offence at the callous way Wilders singled out one minority. "Precisely what happened in Jewish history," she reflected. Many in the Jewish community share her opinion, Rabbi Menno ten Brink, of the Liberal Jewish Community in Amsterdam, for instance. "Wilders is stigmatising an entire segment of the population," he said "This has led to a lot of trouble for us Jews in the past. I will not stand for it."

The PVV does not seem to draw a disproportionate amount of Jewish support. "In our shul you will find people with different political preferences – from veteran Labour voters to PVV sympathisers," said rabbi Shmuel Katzman of the Orthodox Jewish community in The Hague, a city where the PVV boasts a substantial following. Maurice de Hond, a well-known pollster of Jewish descent, has not done any research on the matter yet, but he said he was under the impression Jewish support for Wilders "did not surpass the national 15 percent". Although "the percentage could be a bit higher amongst the youth," he added.

Ber van Halem (22) said he would certainly vote for the PVV. "Wilders is the only one who will actually do something about criminal Moroccans," he said. Van Halem, who never leaves home without his skullcap, was beaten up 18 months ago by boys who were probably of Moroccan descent. His assailants were never caught. "A crackdown on violent anti-Semitism is long overdue," Van Halem said. "Apart from Wilders, what politician will go through with it?"

This subject remains an exposed nerve, even amongst Wilders opponents. The Jewish community in Amsterdam feels it has increasingly come under threat in recent years. Last year, the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents doubled. For years, synagogues and Jewish events have had heavy security for fear of bombings like the ones seen in Antwerp and Paris. Markuszower’s gun possession may have been widely reported by media in the relatively gun-averse Netherlands, it is hardly held against him in Jewish circles.

A friend to Israel

"And then there is still the electoral victory of that anti-Semite party in Hungary and the wave of Jews fleeing anti-Semitism in France," Atiya said. "For Dutch Jews, Israel is a destination of last resort." Many of them also feel the country deserves support, no matter what you think of its conflict with the Palestinians. As a frequent visitor to Israel, Wilders is there to offer it.

In a biographical book Veel gekker kan het niet worden (It doesn't get much crazier than this) by Arthur Blok, Wilders describes how he travelled to an Israeli kibbutz to work at the age of 17. "I didn't have enough money to travel to Australia, so I decided to go to Israel instead," Wilders is quoted as saying. "Another reason for letting Australia be was the fact that my great-grandfather on my mother's side was called Levinus Meijer." Meijer is a typically Jewish name. "I thought: perhaps I will be able to trace some of my far-flung roots in Israel. But I wasn't."

This appealed to Van Halem's imagination, who said he had heard more inspiring stories about Wilders. "He has an Israeli flag and the portrait of a rabbi hanging in his office. I find the portrait in particular very appealing, since I myself was named after a famous rabbi."

In reality, the flag adorns the office of Wilders' fellow PVV parliamentarian Martin Bosma. Nothing is known about a rabbinic portrait.

Israel stands for the preservation OF Jewish identity, Atiya said, "as we are doing here in Buitenveldert by living together with a large number of Jews, or the Orthodox Jews are by adhering strictly to Jewish laws. People will always fear that assimilation could lead to the disappearance of Judaism."

The PVV, however, opposes ritual slaughter, a practice many Jews find essential to their identity. Wilders' main target in this respect is the Muslim community, but he does not make any exceptions for Jews. "I have spoken to him about his views regarding ritual slaughter, but he stuck to his guns," rabbi Evers said. The rabbi emphasised how little animals suffered under the practice. "Those knives are so incredibly sharp. You don't even feel it when you cut yourself."

According to Katzman, the PVV has created a "dilemma" for Jewish voters. "Both when it comes to matters that affect the Jewish community directly, and matters that show little tolerance of our fellow gentile man." Jews who feel Israel is important may vote for the right-wing liberal VVD or the Christian Democratic CDA in the end, rabbi Ten Brink predicted, recalling a speech given by a prominent CDA member on Israeli independence day. "Afterwards I heard a lot of people say, 'perhaps I will vote CDA after all'," Ten Brink said.