Four convicted for Amsterdam violence against Israelis, calling for Jews’ death By AFP and ToI Staff Today, 4:12 pm 14 Screenshot from a video showing assailants running after fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv following a soccer game in Amsterdam on November 8, 2024. (X screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law) Screenshot from a video showing assailants running after fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv following a soccer game in Amsterdam on November 8, 2024. (X screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law) A Dutch court convicts four men for their part in November’s violence against Israeli soccer fans that sparked accusations of antisemitism. The latest convictions by the Amsterdam District Court follow five others handed down in December for the “hit-and-run” style attacks on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the early hours of November 8. Images of the violence, which Israel says wounded 10, went around the world and sparked a furious reaction in Israel including accusations of a “pogrom.” Promoted: Birthright, the gift of a lifetime Keep Watching Aged between 22 and 32 years, this week’s suspects are found guilty of a range of offenses including helping to foment the violence and insulting Jews. Cenk. D., 27, receives the heaviest sentence of three months in prison, for pointing out locations of Maccabi fans after an Europa League match between the visiting Israeli club and Ajax. He is also sentenced for insulting Jews, including making disparaging comments about the Holocaust and posting slogans such “Dead Jew better than living Jew,” the court’s judges say. “The persecution of Jews during the Second World War is one of the most shocking events in history and has caused untold suffering,” the judges say in a verdict posted online. “Condoning and trivializing the Holocaust not only causes personal suffering amongst Jews but can also contribute to feelings of insecurity and unrest in society,” they add. Mounir M., 32, is jailed for six weeks as one of the administrators of the online chat group. Kamal I., 22, is sentenced to one month in jail for sharing the location of Maccabi supporters in the Dutch capital. The court also sentences Mohammed B., 26, to 30 days in jail for chasing a Maccabi supporter and “making a hitting movement with a belt.” The court says the violence was influenced by the situation in Gaza. While noting that it happened after Maccabi fans chanted anti-Arab songs and committed some acts of vandalism, “this context offers no justification for calling for, and using physical violence against Israeli supporters who were guests in Amsterdam for a soccer match.”
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QUALITY POST: What the 2025 numbers actually show ADL’s audit still found incidents in all 50 states. Raw totals were highest in New York (1,160), California (817), and New Jersey (687). Those are also the largest Jewish populations. Assaults were concentrated in New York City. National totals fell from the 2024 peak but stayed far above pre-2023 levels. FBI hate-crime data still has Jews as the large majority of religion-based victims. So “low incident count” in a small state can just mean few Jews, not a better civic culture. adl.org States that currently have the better combined reputationFlorida (especially South Florida). This is the loudest “safe to be openly Jewish” brand in the U.S. right now: large community, state-level enforcement posture, and a political class that treats synagogue security and campus disruption as law-and-order, not a speech puzzle. It also ranks well on economy and is in the U.S. News top 10 overall. Tradeoff: culture-war heat, insurance/climate costs, and it still recorded hundreds of incidents (319 in 2025) because the community is huge. vinnews.com Utah and parts of the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Iowa, New Hampshire). These dominate 2026 “best states” lists for schools, fiscal stability, crime, and family metrics. Day-to-day life for a generic resident is often calmer than in NY/CA. Jewish life exists but is thinner.
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What about when he gets free of those three placesWhen Christian finally gets free of the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, and Doubting Castle, his journey completely transforms. He enters a landscape that is the absolute antidote to the "dark feeling" and the chaotic information overload of the modern world.In Bunyan’s allegory, escaping those dark places leads him to a state of profound peace and clarity that provides a beautiful blueprint for how to find relief in your own life:🏔️ 1. The Delectable Mountains (The View from Above)Right after escaping Giant Despair, Christian reaches the Delectable Mountains. These mountains are full of gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and they are guarded by shepherds named Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere.What it means for you: After years of being trapped in the loops of overthinking, Christian is given a safe sanctuary. The shepherds give him a perspective from a higher ground, letting him look back at the treacherous path he survived with a sense of peace, rather than terror.☀️ 2. The Country of Beulah (Rest and Healing)Near the very end of his journey, Christian enters the land of Beulah. In this country, the air is incredibly sweet and calm. The story notes that here, "they were out of the reach of Giant Despair, and from this place they could not so much as see Doubting Castle." The sun shines night and day, and it is a place of total rest where the traveler waits before crossing over to their final home.What it means for you: Beulah represents a mind that has completely disconnected from the noise of the "Vanity Fair" internet and the heavy weight of global politics. It is a state of mind where the background noise finally goes quiet, and you are allowed to just be, safe and rested.🔑 How He Actually Escapes Doubting CastleThe most important part of the entire story is how Christian gets out of Doubting Castle in the first place. He and his companion Hopeful are locked in the dark dungeon for days, being beaten by Giant Despair.Then, at midnight, Christian suddenly remembers something. He cries out, "What a fool am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle." He pulls out the key, puts it in the lock, and the heavy iron doors fly open instantly.The key was in his possession the entire time; he just forgot he had it because he was so focused on the terrifying walls of the dungeon.
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