The Netherlands is increasing security funding for its Jewish community from €700,000 to €2 million per year, Justice Minister David van Weel announced Wednesday.
Van Weel told parliament that recent events once again make it clear that security cannot be taken for granted and that he hopes the additional resources will ensure Jewish institutions can be better protected.
Since 2025, the Netherlands has had a security fund for Jewish schools, institutions, and events, with a structural annual allocation of €1.3m.
High-interest in funding underscores great need and urgency
Interest in funding was high in 2025, which Van Weel said underscores the great need and the urgency of this measure. Therefore, the security fund will be continued on a structural basis.
Given the number of applications in 2025, the expected increase in 2026, and the discussions in Parliament, Van Weel announced his decision to increase the fund by €700,000 in 2026, bringing it to €2m. per year.
Last week, the Dutch Public Prosecutor released its ‘Discrimination Figures in 2025’ annual report, which presented a disturbing picture of the rise in Jew hatred.
In 2025, the police recorded 867 antisemitic incidents, more than 400 of which were directed at (perceived) Jewish individuals and institutions. These incidents mainly occurred in residential areas and on the street.
In 85 cases, the incidents involved graffiti or vandalism, which are disproportionately often aimed at locations such as Jewish cemeteries, monuments, synagogues, or cultural organizations.
In some cases, property belonging to Jews in their neighborhoods was also damaged.
It is also notable that more than 70 incidents involved statements related to Israel, Palestine, or Zionism. These included slogans at demonstrations, online expressions, flyers, and banners.
In addition, the police recorded 240 incidents in which public service workers (usually police officers) were insulted as “k***-Jews,” often followed by further antisemitic abuse.
These incidents occurred not only during demonstrations but also during routine law enforcement in public spaces such as streets, bars, traffic situations, or public transport.
The Dutch National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism, Eddo Verdoner, noted that Jews make up less than 0.3% of the country’s population, yet antisemitism accounts for 26% of all specific discrimination incidents registered by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“We have been counting hundreds of antisemitic incidents a year for years. What I fear is that we are slowly getting used to figures,” said Verdoner.
He also called on the Dutch government to implement its November 2024-approved National Strategy for Combating Antisemitism, 2024-2030. The strategy was developed in collaboration with NCAB and involves a multi-year government plan to make Jewish life safe, visible, and fully accepted in Dutch society.
The strategy is built around three main pillars: protection and enforcement (e.g., stronger security for Jewish institutions, improved reporting, and prosecution of hate crimes); education and prevention (including Holocaust education and tackling antisemitism in schools and universities); and remembrance and awareness (promoting knowledge of Jewish history and culture).
It also includes measures to counter online hate, address antisemitism in higher education, and respond to rising incidents linked to social tensions.
Van Weel’s announcement also comes on the back of a spate of attacks in the Netherlands claimed by the shadowy Shi’ite-aligned group Ashab al-Yamin.
The group has claimed 16 attacks on Jewish or Israeli-linked sites across Europe since it appeared in March 2026.
Four of these have been in the Netherlands: An arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam on March 13; an explosive device planted at a Jewish school in Amsterdam on March 14; an explosive device in a bank in Amsterdam on March 16; and an explosive device outside the Israel Center in Nijkerk on April 4.