On Thursday afternoon, as thousands of Israeli soccer fans gathered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to watch Maccabi Tel Aviv take on Ajax in a much-anticipated soccer game, Chabad reps were on hand at the city’s Dam Square, offering fans the chance to put on Tefillin and bringing Jewish joy to the streets of the city.
Hours later, those fans would turn to Chabad to save their lives.
As Jewish fans headed home, they were attacked by hundreds of antisemitic assailants. Many were injured, and many more were forced to hide as Jews were hunted in the streets.
As the violence unfolded Thursday night, Rabbi Akiva Camissar, who heads Chabad Amsterdam Tourists and Israeli Center, started getting requests for help. By the time the sun rose, hundreds of people had turned to Chabad for rescue.
“We organized a fleet of volunteer-driven cars giving people rides to the airport,” Rabbi Dovi Pinkovitch, of Chabad Amsterdam Tourists and Israeli Center, told Lubavitch.com.
On Friday morning, local Jewish doctors visited the city’s hospitals to get a sense of the aftermath of the attacks. A small number of individuals suffered minor injuries, which were treated in local hospitals.
“We arranged food for more than 250 people, and Shabbat meals and a place to stay for another 200 people,” Pinkovitch said.
As the sun set, hundreds of shaken Jews gathered at Chabad to celebrate Shabbat together, in the company of their fellow Jews.
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