Netherlands: "Oh! We thought you were Jewish!"

Jews in an ethnic nation-state find themselves in a problematic situation.  They might live there for generations, but they're still not 'ethnic'.

I recently ran across this story, which illustrates the point.

The synagogue in Enschede is celebrating 85 years.  Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, Chief Rabbi of the Dutch provinces recalls:

When years ago I gave a lecture in this synagogue to a non-Jewish public, I was complimented for my good Dutch.  My somewhat perplexed response was: "But I am Dutch!"  To which came a comment from the audience: "Oh! We thought you were Jewish!"