The return of the pogrom

World view

- Bret Stephens

In April 1903, an antisemitic mob rampaged through the city of Kishinev, which was then part of the Russian Empire and is now known as Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. Nearly 50 Jews were murdered, women and girls were raped and some 1,500 homes were destroyed. Among the survivors were my paternal great-grandparents Barnet and Bessie Ehrlich, who decided then and there to emigrate to America with their children.

This week there was another pogrom in Europe, this time in Amsterdam. "Barbarians on scooters are riding through our capital city hunting Israelis and Jews," David van Weel, the Dutch minister of justice and security, wrote on the social platform X. He was referring to an orgy of violent attacks against Israeli soccer fans, who had come to the city to watch a match on Thursday between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam.