Museum cancels Amersfoort Synagogue’s tricentennial celebration over Israel tensions

A Dutch museum canceled a tricentennial exhibition honoring the nearly 300-year-old Amersfoort Synagogue, citing pressure and security concerns amid tensions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The city's mayor has intervened but has not guaranteed the exhibit will open as planned. Jewish leaders condemned the cancellation as antisemitic.

The Museum Amersfoort, overseen by director Paul Baltus, canceled a planned exhibition celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Amersfoort Synagogue, citing "pressure" and security concerns related to pro-Palestinian activism. The synagogue, which opened in 1727, is the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in Western Europe still in use. The city's mayor, Lucas Bolsius, has scrambled to save the exhibit but has not guaranteed it will open as planned in early 2027. Jewish community leaders expressed shock, calling the cancellation antisemitic and a sign of growing hostility toward Jewish cultural events in the Netherlands. Emile Schrijver, director-general of Amsterdam's Jewish Cultural Quarter, said treating Jewish events as security risks pushes Jews out of public life. The article notes that pro-Palestinian protests have been frequent in the Netherlands since October 7, 2023, including a demonstration of tens of thousands in Amsterdam on November 8, 2026.