Holocaust Survivor's Son Endures Vile Antisemitism in Netherlands

Sabin Tassa, a resident of Nativ Ha'asara who lost her husband and son in the October 7th Hamas attacks, revealed a harrowing experience at a film screening in the Netherlands. Speaking on the Israeli TV program "Osim Chag" with hosts Galit Gutman and Yoav Limor, Tassa recounted the severe antisemitic abuse she faced from attendees. "This is not my first time, I've been involved in this for three years," Tassa shared. "What I didn't expect was to see such hatred towards Jews as I saw there. Someone approached me and told me 'Go back to the ovens of the Holocaust, we need another Hitler to destroy you.'" Tassa, who is 50, stated that despite her life experiences, she had never encountered such antisemitism before. She explained that until six months prior, she had been working almost alone on public diplomacy efforts and had encountered difficult situations, but the event in the Netherlands deeply shocked her. Since the loss of her family, Tassa has dedicated her life to combating international narratives, becoming a prominent speaker for Israel's public diplomacy efforts worldwide. Her husband, Gil, was murdered while protecting their children from Hamas terrorists, and her 17-year-old son, Or, was shot and killed at Zikim Beach. Despite the difficult encounter with hatred, Tassa affirmed that the reactions only strengthen her resolve to continue her advocacy work. "This struggle is very important, and budgets must be allocated to the public diplomacy apparatus," she urged. "This is our life's work. We do this entirely voluntarily for the sake of the country; it is an integral part of our fight." She added, "Just as we fight the enemy on the ground, we must also fight this hatred and change the narrative in the world, otherwise it will blow up in our faces. We have no other choice." Tassa concluded by sending a clear message to boycott supporters and the audience in the Netherlands: "This is not a trend, it is simply antisemitism showing pure evil. If I am told to do it again and confront them, I will not hesitate. The State of Israel is the most important thing to me in the world."