BREAKING NEWS

Dutch royals want to discuss, not change, Yom Kippur event

A Dutch official said talks will be held with the Jewish community about a royal ceremony scheduled to take place on Yom Kippur.
A farewell party for the recently abdicated Queen Beatrix is currently scheduled for Sept. 14, the Jewish Day of Atonement. A spokesperson for the royal house said discussions were underway to "find the best way to make the day happen,” the news site Spirit24 reported, but the date would not be changed because of scheduling constraints.
Last week, the daily NRC Handelsblad reported that Dutch Jews were “vexed” by the decision to hold the event on Yom Kippur. Holland’s chief inter-provincial rabbi, Binyomin Jacobs, was quoted as saying: “Jews are again faced with a reality in which they don’t belong, and that is painful.”