During a commemoration event, Amsterdam's Mayor Femke Halsema issued a profound apology for the city's past in the Holocaust, urging recognition of historical complicity and urging citizens to confront the painful legacy.
Amsterdam Mayor Acknowledges City's Historical Failures During the Holocaust
Amsterdam Mayor Acknowledges City's Historical Failures During the Holocaust
In a heartfelt address, Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam formally apologizes for the city's complicity in the Holocaust, recognizing the tragic loss of over 60,000 Jewish lives.
On Thursday, Amsterdam's Mayor Femke Halsema delivered a poignant apology for the city's role in the Holocaust, marking 80 years since the end of World War II. Speaking at a Holocaust commemoration event held at the Hollandsche Schouwburg—a former theater turned major deportation center—Halsema stated, "Amsterdam’s government was, when it mattered, not heroic, not determined and not merciful. And it horribly abandoned its Jewish residents."
Before the atrocities, Amsterdam was home to approximately 80,000 Jewish residents. However, during the Nazi occupation, collaboration with local officials facilitated the deportation and murder of over 60,000 Jewish citizens. "Administrators and officials were not only cold and formalistic, but even willing to cooperate with the occupier," Halsema emphasized, acknowledging that city officials played a significant part in the tragic isolation, humiliation, and persecution of the Jewish community.
Halsema's speech is a call to confront uncomfortable historical truths, challenging the city to learn from its past failures and prevent similar atrocities from occurring in the future. The mayor pointed out that antisemitism existed in the Netherlands long before the German occupation and continues to be a relevant issue today. This acknowledgment serves not only as a moment of reflection but as a commitment to ensuring a more just and inclusive society for all.
