On Nov. 9 and 10, 1938, the Holocaust officially began, and Europe fell. It was Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. In a coordinated pogrom of violent antisemitism, over 7,000 Jewish businesses were damaged or destroyed, over 30,000 Jewish men were imprisoned, and between 91 and 638 Jews died (numbers vary according to sources and reports from that night or years later).
On Nov. 8, 2024, almost exactly 86 years later to the day, Europe fell again. After a football game between Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel and Ajax, a planned pogrom filled the streets of Amsterdam. Hundreds of Muslim terrorists hid in alleys and by train stations and hotels, waiting for Israelis who came out of the soccer game. From those hidden locations, they jumped out in groups of five to 10 and attacked Israelis with knives, bats, and other weapons. There are videos of them even using automobiles to hit-and-run Jewish victims. And like 86 years ago, police stood by and did nothing. At least a dozen Israeli tourists are seriously injured, at least seven are missing, and hundreds have still not been located by friends, family, or the Israeli government.
Dutch authorities had been warned for the last few days by the Israeli government that these attacks were being planned. But like Kristallnacht, the local authorities did nothing. There are countless videos on social media of police just watching as Jews were chased, beaten, thrown into a river, and more. An injured and bloodied Israeli made it to the Amsterdam airport, where he said, “The Dutch police sold us out to let the Arabs lynch us.”
Europe has fallen. For how long, we don’t know, but this evening demonstrates that Western Civilization is being destroyed in a cultural and religious war that has been waged against it by Islam. We can no longer try to fool ourselves by saying that it is only Islamic extremists, for this anti-Western culture terrorism is the mainstream of what Europe is experiencing from Muslim immigrants. Israel’s United Nations Ambassador Danny Donan summed it up perfectly as the Amsterdam pogrom was first being reported. “These are the true faces of the supporters of the radical terrorism we are fighting. The Western World needs to wake up now!"
But if Europe is falling, is there any hope left for the West? There absolutely is, and it is again proof that if one door closes, God always provides another door that opens.
As it was during the days of World War II, the hope again for Western Civilization must by necessity come from the United States. A week ago, this would have been an impossible dream. But thanks to the resounding victory for President Trump, as well as getting a Republican majority in the Senate, America has a chance of keeping Western culture and Judeo-Christian values alive.
Related: On This Anniversary of the Six-Day War, What Can We Learn to Save the West?
The essence of Western civilization is based in the Judeo-Christian values and texts, and that is demonstrated in the choices we make. We choose life over death; peace over war; democracy over authoritarianism. The essence of these values is found in the Book of Deuteronomy 30:19: “I place before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life.”
If you study the Quran or Hadiths, the goals of these terrorists become clear, and it is the antithesis of choosing life. Their attacks, hatred, and desire to destroy Israel become clear as one of the initial steps in this war. It becomes evident that while Israel is the frontline and first battlefield for the preservation of the West, their larger goals involve quickly moving through Europe and the United States. If anyone is not clear about the intentions of Hamas, Hezbollah, and these thugs in Amsterdam, all of which are cut of the same cloth, I suggest reading any of the brilliant work by my friend and PJ media colleague Robert Spencer. He is a globally recognized expert on this topic. You can also watch the dialogue he and I had on the subject.
So within the space of a few days, we have seen the United States begin a flowering with the election of President Trump and a shriveling of Europe as Kristallnacht is repeated. Some might get depressed by this, but history has shown that light always triumphs over darkness, even if it takes a while. We can be confident that with the new Trump administration and government in January, a light of liberty, freedom, healing, and peace will shine from this country throughout the world.
May the light of America's future with this new administration spread out beyond our own nation, protect Israel, and revive Western culture and its values throughout the world.
If you know someone in Amsterdam who needs help, please reach out to Maccabi Holland (the Holland office of the Israeli athletic organization) which is arranging safe housing and transportation out of the country.
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