“How do you repair a society that saw returning Jews as a problem, rather than welcoming them”
Effective and just reparations should reflect that we lost more than material goods.
Reparations are a process, not a paycheck.
Our lives and history cannot be brushed aside with an apology and some cash. The Dutch state and the municipalities should take true responsibility towards our communities and work with us to envision a process of reparations that re-invigorates Jewish life instead of driving us further from each other and from other minority groups, many of whom rightfully feel that all they are getting are scraps.
We already have a dead Jewish quarter, filled with museums and monuments and markers dedicated to dead Jews. What we want are living Jewish quarters: a day-to-day living community.
We need a true reckoning with the genocide that took place in our streets and squares. Only then can our broken trust in Dutch institutions be restored.