Jewish school in Amsterdam damaged by explosion

AMSTERDAM, March 14: An explosion lightly damaged a Jewish school in ​Amsterdam early on Saturday, in what the city’s mayor ‌described as “a deliberate attack against the Jewish community”.

The explosion at the school in an upscale residential neighbourhood on the south side ​of Amsterdam damaged a rainpipe and charred an outer wall, ​and caused no injuries.

Mayor Femke Halsema said the incident was ⁠taken very seriously, and would lead to increased security ​at Jewish institutions.

“This is a cowardly act of aggression against ​the Jewish community,” Halsema said.

“Jewish people in Amsterdam are increasingly confronted with antisemitism. This is unacceptable.”

The school is the only one specifically ​for orthodox Jews in the Netherlands, and is largely ​fenced off by a pointed, metal outer wall due to earlier threats.

Security ‌at ⁠synagogues and Jewish institutions in the Dutch capital had already been heightened after an overnight arson attack at a synagogue in the centre of Rotterdam on Friday.

In neighbouring Belgium, an ​explosion caused ​a fire at ⁠a synagogue in Liege on Monday.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the attack in Amsterdam “horrible” ​and said it understandably caused “fear and anger” ​in the ⁠Jewish community.

“The safety of Jewish institutions has our full attention,” he said in a post on X.

Concerns about possible attacks against ⁠Jewish ​communities around the world have risen ​following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and a subsequent response from Tehran.