43% of Dutch Jews say they hide their ethnic identity

November 26, 2018 3:33pm

AMSTERDAM (JTA) – Nearly half of 557 respondents in a survey of Dutch Jews said they were afraid of identifying as such.

Of the respondents, 43 percent said they take active steps to hide their Jewish identity, such as wear a hat over their kippah or hide Star of David pendants.

Many respondents cited their perception of a rise in the prevalence of anti-Semitic sentiment, with 48 percent saying they avoid situations where they suspect they may be exposed to anti-Semitic reactions.

The results of the survey were published Monday.

Other key findings:

52 percent of respondents say anti-Semitism on the street has become more common; 59 percent say it extends also to media and 82 percent see it rising online
34 percent said they had experienced anti-Semitic remarks directed against them; of those, 89 percent said that those remarks were connected to Israel.
11 percent of respondents said they had experienced anti-Semitic violence directed against them. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they heard anti-Semitic jokes, featuring stereotypes about Jews. Other jokes involved the Holocaust. One respondent said a neighbor once told him that the only reason the respondents is living in the Netherlands is “because they forgot to gas” his family.

The poll was conducted by the EenVanddag television show of the NPO 1 channel with the JMW Jewish group and the Central Jewish Board of the Netherlands.