U.S. bishops called on Christians to join them in opposing acts of anti-Semitism and reminding believers of Christianity’s shared heritage with Judaism.

After a group of Israeli football fans were beaten and jeered by a group of young men for being Jewish following a match in Amsterdam, an Austrian bishop condemned the violence and said it was evocative. crystal night, “The darkest and most shameful days in our history.”

Following a football match between Dutch and Israeli teams on Thursday night, at least 10 young men on scooters ransacked Israeli fans, attacked them verbally and physically with punches and kicks, and then quickly fled the scene.

“They shouted ‘Jew, Jew, IDF, IDF’,” a 24-year-old victim told the BBC. The IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, is the country’s army. Another victim said the attackers shouted “Palestine” while punching him.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema called the violence an “explosion of anti-Semitism”, while Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the attacks “unacceptable” and promised to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Archbishop Franz Lackner of Salzburg, president of the Austrian bishops’ conference, told the incident It was considered “an extremely worrying sign” in an interview on 8 November.

He noted that the incident in Amsterdam occurred just days before the annual commemoration of Kristallnacht, the brutal pogroms carried out by the Nazis against Jews in Germany, annexed Austria and other areas under Nazi control. Nazis during 9-10 November 1938 destroyed and destroyed Hundreds of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues and homes.

Archbishop Lackner called for prayers for peace in Israel and Palestine. He added that any ideology, including religious or political views, that permits or justifies violence against Jews has no place in society.

“We have to stand against this,” he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the incident an “anti-Semitic pogrom” on social media. It was reported that Dutch king Willem-Alexander called Herzog and apologized for the incident.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly organized special flights to evacuate Jews from Amsterdam on Friday and Saturday.

1965 encyclical of St. Paul VI Nostrae Aetate He made clear that the Church condemns hatred and violence against Jews and Judaism, condemning “all forms of hatred, persecution, demonstrations of antisemitism directed against Jews at any time and by anyone” (Nostra Aetate4).

The US-based Anti-Defamation League has been tracking it for some time sharp rise Number of antisemitic attacks and incidents since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023. According to this group, antisemitic incidents increased by more than 350% in the first 100 days after the invasion.

The majority of these incidents involved either “verbal or written harassment” or “meetings” containing anti-Semitic rhetoric and “expressions of support for terrorism against the state of Israel and/or anti-Zionism,” according to the group’s data. Dozens of assault cases and hundreds of reports of vandalism were also recorded.

The Catholic bishops of the United States have also condemned the “reemergence of anti-Semitism in new forms” in recent years. One expression Released before the start of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, the bishops called on Christians to join them in opposing acts of antisemitism and reminding believers of Christianity’s shared heritage with Judaism.