Update: Dutch Daily Deluged Over Anti-Semitic Article
January 19, 2012 15:37 by Simon Plosker
Dutch Christian daily Trouw’s vicious article about prenatal care in Israel entitled: “The chosen people have to be perfect”, provoked a furious response from HonestReporting readers.
According to Yochanan Visser, the author of our guest post:
Thanks to HonestReporting, Trouw received e-mails from places far beyond the borders of Holland. This was the first time in the history of Dutch media a thing like this happened.
Such was the level of anger that Trouw was forced to respond after the story was picked up by the Jerusalem Post:
Willem Schoonen, the editor- in-chief of Trouw, denied the article is anti-Semitic, in a telephone interview on Monday.
He said the paper got “loads of e-mails on the story, negative e-mails.”
When asked why the readership response was negative, he said for the same reasons of anti-Semitism that are being leveled against the paper. He flatly denied the article is bashing the Jewish state, and said van Heusden wrote about “experiences from a pregnant woman coming from a different background” and dealing with a “new chapter in Israeli society.”
“Anti-Semitic reporting is not the way to win a new readership. Certainly for us,” said Schoonen, speaking from Amsterdam.
Political and media commentator Tom Gross told the Post on Monday that “by standing by the article the editor of Trouw is on very dangerous ground here.”
“He seems to be ignorant of the classic centuries-old anti- Semitic stereotypes about ‘the chosen people’ and linking Jews to money, and to the blood of Christian children.
“This is particularly disturbing coming as it does in the Netherlands. Contrary to popular myth, Holland had one of the highest levels of collaboration with the Nazis in Western Europe. 75 percent of the country’s Jews were murdered, a much higher percentage than countries like Belgium and France.”
Thanks to the action of our subscribers, Trouw will certainly think twice before publishing such appalling material again and Dutch media has been put on notice that it can no longer act with impunity when it comes to reporting on Israel.
This may be the first time in history that this has happened to the Dutch media. With your help, it won’t be the last and, with the help of partner organizations in Europe, hiding content behind non-English languages will no longer shield foreign media from being held accountable.
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Daniel Katzen
5:24 pm
Jan 19, 2012
How much did the new mother pay to have her baby in an Israeli hospital?
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Jossef
5:53 pm
Jan 19, 2012
As someone who sent one of the deluge of Emails I am happy to see that Throw got the message. Thank you HonestReporting!
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Reuven
6:15 pm
Jan 19, 2012
Unfortunately, I suspect Trouw and its supporters will just take the usual way out – admitting temporary defeat at the hands of some nebulous and nefarious international Jooooish organization, as if to “prove” that, “See, they really do control the media!”.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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Vincent meijer
6:47 pm
Jan 19, 2012
Trouw is just small fish.
Take on Vara TV and radio broadcaster, take on NOS news. Attack De Pers.
Take a look at all the thousands upon thoasands of dubious contributions on the Net every day. For example Nujij.nl, and what not. Where to start!
You can also fight leaves falling in autumn but when The Father in Heaven wants you home, and perhaps even, is going to destroy the homes and countries of those anti- Semites.
Then what to do?
Other than to come home and leaves those evil peole to rot in hell.
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Noreen
9:28 pm
Jan 19, 2012
How many of the critical emails came from TROUW subscribers? (BTW, if the word “trouw” means something such as “truth” or “true”, the editors should find another name for their publication.)
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Hans
4:09 pm
Jan 20, 2012
“Trouw” stands for: loyal / faithful.
During the second war it used to be an underground newspaper.
————————
After that war we learned in school about the heroic deeds of people saving Jews, risking their own lives. (Anne Frank and that kind of stories)
Later I found they didn’t tell the whole story.
The majority was looking the other direction, trying to survive, save from some that played an active role in betraying Jews.
.
Afterwards many people didn’t want to talk about that occupation.
And in a few years it’s history.
.
You can ask yourself what you would do in similar circumstances.
.
The dutch government/royal family in exile (London) didn’t show much interest in the fate of their jewish population as well.
.
The behavior of the “Jewish councel” in Amsterdam is questionable.
They were collaborating with the germans, handing over lists of people that were “ready to go”.
This, in the end, didn’t save their own lives anyway.
“Trouw” isn’t what it used to be anymore.
They lost their objectivity and moved to the “left of the middle” side.
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jacob mandelblum
5:37 pm
Jan 20, 2012
Not only that but what about the Dutch government refusal to return the stolen properties to
their lawful owners, the few surviving Jews from Nazi concentration camps ????
This was learned from the horse’s mouth by my wife and daughter while visiting Holland..
What about it, Meinher TROUW Director ???????
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Martin Kantor
10:39 pm
Jan 19, 2012
Perhaps it will take a few more murders of journalists like van Gogh’s to convince the Dutch press who their real enemies are.
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Denise
1:29 am
Jan 20, 2012
IF ILSE IS A CHRISTIAN WORKING FOR A SO CALLED CHRISTIAN PAPER SHE SHOULD RE EXAMINE HER ARTICLE ASK FORGIVENESS FOR HER BIASED OPINION AND RE WRITE HER ARTICLE …SORRY ILSE YOU ARE THE LOSER IN THIS CASE
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doubleblack4
5:35 am
Jan 20, 2012
He is still in denial. He is pathetic like most of the msm.
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Meir
8:55 am
Jan 20, 2012
Actually I do hope that this will be the last time any Dutch paper receives such an overwhelming negative response to an articel.
I hope that no one will write anti-semetic articles any more!
We are not like the Cat who waits for the mouse, we are like the housewife, who wishes the mice wouldn’t come in the first place!
Shabbat Shalom!
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Nathan Zafran
10:17 am
Jan 20, 2012
Make no mistake, contrary to the general impression, Holland was one of the most collaborating countries, with the Nazis, in the West (about 75%, akin with similar Norway). And when the Nazis were about to overrun Moscow, a Dutch division of volunteers, joined the Wermacht on the Eastern Front. (See also story of Anna Frank). Fortunately, the Russians made mincemeat of them. Like much of Europe, Holland is very much antisemitic.
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Brent Pudsey
2:15 pm
Jan 20, 2012
It is too bad that cannot admit that he made a mistake. He could have said I realized that I had meant to address the issue of woman’s birthing health and had gotten my facts mistaken. I did not mean to imply that Israel was abusive to women.
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Lynne
3:23 pm
Jan 20, 2012
Here’s the email I sent to the paper:
It is outrageous that a periodical called “Truth” would publish an article with so many lies and distortions. (“The Chosen People Have to Be Perfect”)
When can I expect to read an apology and a corrected version?
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Carlo Marijnissen
4:18 pm
Jan 20, 2012
Look at my website and find out about aggrssive AntiSemitism of FNV Dutch workers organasation. It is impossible to get this in a Dutch paper or on Dutch Television.
http://WWW.VAKBONDMAFFIA.COM take a look at REACTIES the dirty mails send to me by FNV
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Samuel
5:04 pm
Jan 20, 2012
It’s great that the foreign press is finally reporting on anti-semitism in The Netherlands. I am Dutch and have noticed that on the Dutch left-wing it has become increasingly popular to bash Israel and Jews more and more openly. Especially our written press and public television is very far left oriented and completely biased on everything concerning middle east reporting. Muslim brothers are by definition good and moderate people and any Jew who isn’t an extreme lefty Haaretz reader is by definition considered a radical arab-hater.
However, what I like about Holland, and which does not exist to such an extend in other European Countries is that there is also a very present and active pro-Israel movement. In recent years there have been pro-Israel demonstrations in The Hague involving thousands of people waving Israel’s flag. There are many Christian organisations (Christenen voor Israel and Pillar of fire for example) which are actively fighting against the anti-semitic reporting in the media and constantly telling the truth to whoever wants to hear it. These very vocal and active pro-jewish organisations which are sometimes depicted as either dangerous or far right-wing by the left-wing media (VPRO) and therefore need all the support that they can get from abroad to fence off this libel. Thanks for your contribution, keep up the good work and help us fight for the truth.
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Pninah
6:43 pm
Jan 20, 2012
Useful idiots abound! The article the woman wrote was a PARODY! She loves Israel and the Jewish people!! Use “google translate” to translate the article and read it in IN HER OWN ACTUAL WORDS instead of taking Robert J. Achech’s vicious propaganda attack on that woman to convince ignorant people they are being attacked!!! My people (Jews) have always, ALWAYS been led to believe untruths!!!! There are decent and honest ways to call awareness to antisemitism other than writing a lying and libelous article!!!!! Trouw is just as disgraceful as all the other media that report inaccurately, and in this case, pure propaganda!!!!!! TRANSLATE THE WOMAN’S ARTICLE AND IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT PARODY IS, LOOK UP THE DEFINITION OF IT. THE WOMAN IS ACTUALLY PRAISING ISRAEL WHILE CRITICIZING HER OWN COUNTRY’S LACK OF GOOD PRE-NATAL CARE!!!!!!! Translate the woman’s article by using google translate and KNOW THE TRUTH. My people have been duped and most do not even care!!!!!!!!
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Fraide
9:27 am
Jan 22, 2012
I have never heard of a woman complaining that she received too much medical attention. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion she is crazy and/or anti-semitic.
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Paardestaart
10:53 pm
Jan 22, 2012
A parody?
You are delusional, my dear. She was dead serious. It was a filthy article, and no one in his right mind who would in good faith have accepted such a despicable text.
The general drift of it was that ´for the chosen people´ only flawless new Israeli´s are good enough.
There is a mean little catch to this allegation, even if it wére vented in neutral terms: Trouw – which in this case means fidelity, srteadfast commitment – is a christian newspaper, and insinuating that ´the chosen people´ think only perfect children are useful citizens (and soldiers, of course) makes for a very unpleasant and dubious connotation.
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Vincent
5:13 pm
Jan 21, 2012
As good a job as you guys do, it is only one aspect of the whole picture. Trouw don’t work in a vacuum you know?
And they are relativly small fish, and not so dangerous, and extreme as some other media is.
Rabbi laser Brodi is also against doctors who do to many tests on women, and scare them, and tell them their babies will have problems, etc. But that is just a side note. But also to tell you that this Trouw article isn’t that bad considering some of the other stuff that goes on in Holland.
What about Jews in general being targetted? Not Israel’s policies, but Jews in Holland being ridiculed. Which internet agency is going to save the people of that?
Take VARA ‘s DWDD, VARA ‘s TV show with Mr. Mathijs van Nieuwkerk. DWDD De Wereld Draait Door. The Word Turns Round i.e. the world turns mad/ goes mad, doesn’t turn round no more.
This show has sick jokes about Jews every day. I can not even watch this show no more but only see bits and pieces. It has “interesting articles about concentratian camp art i.e. cosy art with pictures of ovens etc.” reporters visiting footballplayers who were suspended for anti- Semetic behavior while playing Ajax, with the reporter suporting the bad guy!
It had a guy this week saying that Saab cars is a car for blond people but he did’nt mean it in a NAZI way. – oh really?-
It had also yesterday a man making jokes about an orthodox Jew who said something bad about gays.
It is too much to mention. It is also the tone and the faces they make and the repetition of the whole Jewish theme that makes the whole picture disturbing.
Ambassy, Shin Beith, who ever, are you watching?
I hope another Breivik comes to kill those people. Vara was on the wrong side in WW2, they may deny, but I have data on this. They are pro Islam, pro PLO pro Socialism, pro Atheism, pro gay etc . anti Jewish values, anti Jewish rethorics and jokes to go along with it.
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mariusz
12:53 am
Jan 22, 2012
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Stan Lee
7:25 pm
Jan 24, 2012
“Jews gave to learn to have distance to themselves and learn to take criticism,” so states Mariusz on Jan.22,2012.
Mariusz, with all due respect, you must be living in a vacuum to believe your own comment! Certainly, you are very insensitive to the reality around you!
In a place like the Netherlands, where Jews are an infinitismal part of the population, their living existence still disturbs those whose DNA is still infected with the insanity of Adolph Hitler.
Perhaps the Soviet Army, WW2, failed to terminate the entire Dutch volunteer SS division, their spirit lives on in the Netherlands, even if only a few survived.
It is poetic justice that their country is almost “Juden Frei,” and the Jewish minority has been replaced by very dangerous Muslim Arabs. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
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Zilberwasser
5:48 pm
Jan 28, 2012
IMO, the “tell” is in the use of the words “Chosen People” which is a contemporary trope (at least in English) to equate the Jews with the Nazis.
If this is also true in the language of the original article, then IMO the writer is attempting to burnish her career by using a “meme” of fashionable anti-Israel/anti-Jewish propaganda.
The editor in that case either does not understand the subtext of the article or is overlooking it.
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Paardestaart
1:44 am
Jan 30, 2012
It was, and it is, Zilberwasser.
No one should fall for the lame excuses of Schoonen. These christian leftist idiotarians do no longer recognize antisemitism when it is staring them in the face, but it is about time they realize that nobody is fooled by their hypocritical cant.
In polite company the creeps do not even bother to avoid the more blatantly goebellian memes anymore: chosen people,(in parenthesis of course!) or jewish lobby, and when Occupyers meet somewhere it is not long before someone denounces capitalism,equating it with jewry, zionism and world domination
If someone had told me we were going to hear this crap again, in one lifetime; after hearing pious mumblings of ´Never Again´ all of my life, I would not have believed it..
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Daniel Katzen
8:32 pm
Jan 29, 2012
I repeat: How much did the new mother pay to have her baby in an Israeli hospital?
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Jacb
4:40 am
Feb 01, 2012
Dear people! Sorry for my terribly English, but I can not be still more!
I am Dutch. I see that all this discussion is good example how one idiot make crazy a lot of good people. To get correct opinion about some text you have first of all to have good translation. So if you do not believe me go to some Jewish organization in Holland end ask there about this article. Pninah 20/01/2012 already told you all about. But you do not believe!
So I do repeat.
In article women just wrote that prenatal care in Israel better then in Holland, all those tests are very important, but very unpleasantly and tiresome. Fader are just good words about Israel end some well known facts about it.
What about chosen people. She just quoted joke words of nurse from kindergarten where was hare oldest daughter. Which was told after discussion about unpleasantly tests.
“ We are chosen people, so we mast have perfect children.”
And from this some idiot make conclusion, that she compare Jews with Nazi !!!!!
We Jews have enough enemies on this planet, so let as not making enemies from friends!
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