The American bishops have called on Christians to join them in opposing acts of anti-Semitism and reminding the faithful of Christianity’s shared heritage with Judaism.

After a group of Israeli soccer fans were beaten and mocked by groups of youths for being Jewish after a match in Amsterdam, an Austrian bishop condemned the violence, saying it evokes, referring to Crystal Night, “The darkest and most shameful days of our own history.”

After a soccer match Thursday night between Dutch and Israeli teams, at least 10 youths on scooters sought out Israeli fans, verbally and physically assaulted them with punches and kicks, and then quickly fled the scene.

“They shouted ‘Jews, Jews, IDF, IDF,’” one 24-year-old victim told the BBC. The IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, is the nation’s army. Another victim said the attackers shouted “Palestine” as they beat him.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema characterized the violence as an “eruption of anti-Semitism,” while Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the attacks “unacceptable” and vowed to hold perpetrators accountable.

Bishop Franz Lackner, archbishop of Salzburg, president of the Austrian bishops’ conference, described the event in a Nov. 8 interview as a “deeply alarming sign.”

He noted that the incident in Amsterdam occurred just days before the annual commemorations of Kristallnacht, the brutal pogroms the Nazis carried out against Jews in Germany, the annexed country of Austria and other Nazi-controlled areas. During November 9 and 10, 1938, the Nazis vandalized and destroyed hundreds of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues and homes.

Archbishop Lackner asked for prayers for peace in Israel and Palestine. He added that any ideology, including religious or political views, that allows or justifies violence against Jews has no place in society.

“We must face this,” he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the incident on social media as an “anti-Semitic pogrom.” Dutch King Willem-Alexander reportedly called Herzog to apologize for the incident.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government quickly organized special flights to evacuate Jews from Amsterdam on Friday and Saturday.

Encyclical of Saint Paul VI of 1965 Nostrae Aetate made clear the Church’s condemnation of hatred and violence against Jews and Judaism, condemning all “hatred, persecutions and manifestations of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone” (Our Aetate4).

The United States-based Anti-Defamation League has been following a sharp increase in the number of anti-Semitic attacks and incidents since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023. According to that group, anti-Semitic incidents increased more than 350% in the first 100 days after the invasion.

The majority of those incidents, according to the group’s data, involved “verbal or written harassment” or “demonstrations” involving anti-Semitic rhetoric and “expressions of support for terrorism against the State of Israel and/or anti-Zionism.” There were also dozens of attacks and hundreds of reports of vandalism.

For their part, the Catholic bishops of the United States have condemned in recent years what they call a “resurgence of anti-Semitism in new forms.” in a statement Published before the start of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, the bishops called on Christians to join them in opposing acts of anti-Semitism and reminding the faithful of Christianity’s shared heritage with Judaism.