The three Jewish schools in Amsterdam have been approached dozens of times in recent days by parents asking if there is room for their child at one of the schools. This is what the Central Jewish Consultation (CJO), which speaks on behalf of the Jewish schools, says. These are children who are bullied at their current school because they are Jewish or Israeli.
At least six Jewish children have already transferred to one of the three schools in recent days, it was reported Het Parool Wednesday. But it probably won’t stop there. “It is a very worrying situation,” said Chanan Hertzberger, chairman of the CJO.
“It is incomprehensible that children no longer feel safe in their own school and that parents are looking for another school in a city like Amsterdam. That this could have come to this.” According to Hertzberger, something like this has never happened on this scale.
13 year old girl
AT5 spoke today to one of the children involved, a 13-year-old girl who is in the second grade. The name of her school is included AT5 is known, but is not mentioned because she and her father do not want it to be traceable to her. She said that she has been bullied a lot in recent weeks. She says that she has been repeatedly confronted with texts such as ‘Free Palestine’, ‘Israel does not exist’ and even more intense texts using the word ‘cancer’.
She already switched classes, but she says that didn’t help. For example, she left school early because she no longer felt safe that day after several students allegedly said ‘Free Palestine’ to her. Her father says otherwise AT5 that he has raised his daughter to be resilient and that he believes she should be able to withstand a verbal blow, but that the limit has now been reached. That is why he has now been in contact with one of the Jewish schools.
“It is very intense and sad that children do not feel safe and that parents feel forced to pick up their children from school,” says Rukiye Sarizeybek, chairman of OSVO, the association of school boards in secondary education.
Sarizeybek further says that OSVO currently does not know which students from which schools are involved. “Today or tomorrow we will contact the Jewish schools. Then we can see where the issue is and whether we can make targeted approaches,” said Sarizeybek. “The holidays start after tomorrow. I hope that there will come a time when children can at least distance themselves for a while and relax. And we will continue with this afterwards.”
“We expect the schools to step up,” Hertzberger said. “Also, the minister clearly indicates that these types of things are not accepted and that school management also acts accordingly.” The further question is whether all children who want to go to one of the Jewish schools can go there. “That’s a challenge,” says Hertzberger. “As we know, there is a teacher shortage, so it is not easy. But I think and hope that they can arrange that.”
Find contact
OSVO advises parents who are confronted with these types of matters to contact the school in question. “For example, with the mentors or with the management,” says Sarizeybek. “We have short lines of communication with the municipality, with the School & Safety Foundation and with safety coordinators of the city districts. We are then informed in consultation with the municipality. So if there are incidents that we are not aware of, it also comes through those channels. inside.”
Sarizeybek also says that the problem also occurs the other way around, so that Muslim children feel less safe. “Yesterday we had a meeting with all the boards, at which the Jewish schools were also present. We have also expanded this. Amsterdam is very diverse and what is happening is so intense that it affects all children. We are very proud of that. very aware.”