ABSTRACT
Many football leagues have had to deal with antisemitic behavior in the stands. The Dutch league is no exception. Supporters of Ajax Amsterdam have been calling themselves “Superjews” for decades, resulting in antisemitic slurs from opposing fans. The situation is somewhat like Tottenham Hotspurs in the United Kingdom. As the first Dutch football club, Feyenoord Rotterdam has initiated an educational approach to combating antisemitic chants within their own fan base. With the help of local partners, Feyenoord and the Anne Frank House set up a day tour through Rotterdam in which fans are confronted with the Jewish suffering within Feyenoord and Rotterdam. The fans visit different local settings that have a relation with the Holocaust and meet with Jewish fellow supporters, who experience the pain and suffering they endure because of their family histories as well as the hate speech they encounter in the stadium. The approach appears to reach out successfully to fans because it builds upon a shared love and pride for the city and the club. By doing so, Feyenoord and the Anne Frank House try to prevent further antisemitic hate speech on the stands by appealing to a common identity. Following Feyenoord, the football club FC Utrecht has created their own local educational program for fans with the help of the Anne Frank House.
