On November 7, 2024, the world reached a new level of ugly with the advent of the Amsterdam/Tel Aviv soccer game pogrom—yes, you read it correctly—a pogrom! It happened because a global Intifada might be in progress. Let’s start by defining both terms: Pogorm and Intifada.
A pogrom is a government-organized and/or sponsored riot, generally against the Jews. A somewhat “romanticized” version of a pogrom is the story of “Fiddler on the Roof.” My great-grandmother Rachel Schimkowitz left Russia in the late 1880s to escape the pogroms. Back then, it was already a matter of life and death, and as a result, Jews left Eastern Europe for Western Europe, Canada, and America. My family settled down in Paris.
An intifada is a non-military uprising. Some people might call it a civil uprising, but since there is nothing “civil” about an intifada, I prefer the term non-military. There have been two official intifadas in Israel to date. The First Intifada lasted from 1987 to 1993, and the Second from 2000 to 2005. The word means “uprising,” with the implied meaning of rebellion and resistance. It has been linked to the Palestinian cause for the last thirty-five years, pretty much since the First Intifada. It was initially meant to describe a bold but non-violent resistance but has unfortunately morphed over the last few decades to become more aggressive and very violent.
Today’s youth identify with the resistance and social justice aspect of the word’s original meaning but ignore that its etymology has shifted to describe a more violent protest. Additionally, many college students are ignorant of the geo-political situation of the Middle East. They are often being used as pawns by the radical left or radical Islamic organizations to promote their agenda of hatred of Israel and the Jews.
Since October 8, 2023, we have heard the chants “globalize the Intifada. ” To be sure, that motto wasn’t born after Hamas invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 innocent Israelis, but it indeed became more popular. College students all over America and other parts of the world are rallying under the banner of a global intifada. Ignoring the implications, many gather and brandish signs with “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Shall be Free!” Again, ignorance makes the actions very toxic. The motto being chanted is a call for the complete destruction of Israel, something that many youngsters have no clue about. Unfortunately, they end up being used by the real antisemites who are ready to kill Jews in 2024.
On November 7, 2024, the world witnessed what could be the launching of the Global Intifada. The Amsterdam/Tel Aviv soccer game became a stage for the display of violent Jew hatred. One wonders if the planning was purposefully done to coincide with the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht.
In some cases, people were asked to show their passports to see if they were from Israel. Some media outlets were quick to claim that the attacks were a response to the Israeli fan base insulting the pro-Palestinian fan base, but the attacks were way too organized and structured to have been impromptu. This was carefully planned!
The events of November 7 would have been a tragedy if they were a “one-and-done.” Unfortunately, they appear to have opened the door to more violence as the perpetrators repeated their actions on the streets of Amsterdam only days later. It is also encouraging more acts of violence against Jews, as in the city of Antwerp in Belgium, where shouts of “Jew Hunt” were heard on the streets.
There was also another soccer game between France and Israel in Paris, and according to my local contact who was at the game, security was extremely tight. One man had hidden Palestinian flags ahead of the game and pulled them out during the play, which led to a minor altercation but nothing serious. The stadium holds 80,000 people but was only filled with 20,000 plus 4,000 police officers and some military personnel. The streets of Paris did see some protests against Israel that night, but again, nothing as violent as Amsterdam.
Rachel O’Donoghue was spot one in her Algemeiner article, “The attacks in Amsterdam last Thursday night, reminiscent of Nazi-era pogroms, are the direct result of the ‘Globalize the Intifada’ movement that anti-Israel protesters have been championing for over a year. This slogan isn’t just a catchy chant; it’s a blatant call for violence against Jews, mirroring the atrocities of the First and Second Palestinian Intifadas.“
There will undoubtedly be more attacks on Jews, and many will choose to become bystanders, and, in a sense, that makes them co-perpetrators. Still, just like in Amsterdam, some will open their homes to rescue and shelter endangered Jewish people. The global Intifada has started and is coming to a town near you. Is our door open or closed to Jews? I believe this largely depends on the condition of our hearts. Are they open or closed to the Jewish people?
Will we be sheep, or will we be goats? (Matthew 25:31-46) In the words of Yeshua (Jesus), “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 31:40) This parable speaks of a future time during the Great Tribulation, but the principle needs to be applied today! I know the Shepherd, and I want to be seen as a sheep of His flock.
