Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema is expected to formally apologize next week to the Jewish community for the municipality’s role in persecuting Jews during World War II.
An apology at the site from which Jews were deported
Mayor Halsema will deliver the apology on behalf of the city at a ceremony on April 24 at the Hollandsche Schouwburg (Dutch Theater). The site, located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter, serves as a Holocaust memorial and was used during the war as a central gathering point for Jews before their deportation by the Nazis to concentration camps.
The upcoming apology follows an investigation by the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, which confirmed that the city of Amsterdam actively participated in the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. Local police assisted in raids, and the population registry provided the Nazis with the addresses of Jewish residents.
The first mayor to apologize
Halsema will become the first mayor to publicly apologize for the municipality’s involvement in the Nazis’ actions. She follows former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who served from 2010 to 2024 and issued an apology on behalf of the Dutch government in 2020 for its role during the war.
Strengthening Jewish cultural life
Sources in the city administration confirmed to the Dutch newspaper Het Parool that Amsterdam will allocate €25 million to strengthen the Jewish community’s cultural life. The funding is intended to support the community’s cultural and social activities, promote integration within the city, and reduce threats against Jewish residents.
