Impressions of Amsterdam

Overwhelming crowds, mostly tourist. Trash in  Dam Square, in front of the Central Train Station (a stunning building), in streets and on sidewalks,  everywhere.  Few trash or recycling cans visible. Crews of works rattle, bang and clatter with odd looking small vehicles clean trash up under one's feet at various times of the day.  Too many smokers; it's difficult to breathe as I pass the ubiquitous cigarettes, dangled from so many hands. The butts fill crevices. In Dam Square, no planters of flowers & no greenery. There is an endless din; and yet:

Two blocks away and in many directions from Center, ahhh the charm! Canals, cobblestone sidewalks, great cafes and restaurants, intriguing shops. And stupendous diversity. Even trees, shrubs and flowers line walks. Byciclists ride around on fat tired older bycicles. They don't race, don't wear lycra, don't wear helmets; some are comical: one bycycle had a dining room chair (yes the full chair) for a seat; one bicyclist had a box bed with someone laying in it, playing the harmonica. 

We have met mostly lovely people.  A real diversity of cultures is blended into the fabric of this country. The history of Dutch enterprise and extensive territories from around the world is so embroidered into current culture. There are Japanese, Argentinian, Turkish, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Italian and multiple other restaurants throughout neighborhoods. 

The Jewish history is it's own story. We went to the Jewish Museum, Portugese Synagogue, Rembrandt's house,  the Anne Frank House, the Riksjmuseum, and found the Jewish presence in all of these. Sephardic Jews had been accepted into Protestant Netherlands after the Inquisition forced them from Portugal. Some who had been forcibly converted became Jews again. The Jews were allowed religious freedom from the beginning, but were excluded from the guilds.. They were able to run businesses, many became burghers, advisors, physicians, philosophers, even a baron.

Through the centuries the tolerance allowed a modicum of living as the Dutch citizenry. The exclusions belied the absolute acceptance.

The Dutch Resistance Museum included the story of resistance in Holland, and in the Dutch colonies, encompassing all the arenas of WWII. The racist arrogance of both the Aryan Germans and the Japanese as they occupied respectively: Holland and Indonesia (a Dutch Colony). You are our "Aryan/Asian brothers," wasn't successful. When they encountered massive resistance the German and Japanese viciousness of cruelty was beyond evil.

Dutch resistance: The day the roundup of the Jews occurred, the entire nation went on strike. They organized to fight, hide Jews. and infiltrate. The Dutch Nazis were there too. The resistance movement was comprised of factions: Nationalists, Labor/Communists, Reform Protestants. They were never united; divided they fell.  Compliance had a place in the defeat. Everyone under the occupation, at the early stage, got a national identity. Easy roundups for the Nazis, yes?

An aside: Progressives and Liberals in the U.S. need to take note. We need to unite and get nuanced about our politics. Support the best we have, stop seeking perfection.

After the war the pain of indiferrence meant no assistance for survivors. The Jews and the resisters sent to labor/concentration camps were offered no help.

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