SPEAK ARABIC, SAVE LIVES: How one Druze fan outsmarted Amsterdam mob hunting Jews

When Arab mobs hunted Jews through Amsterdam's streets Thursday night, one unlikely hero stepped forward. Melhem Asad, a Druze Israeli from the Upper Galilee, spent hours risking his life to protect fellow Israelis from violent attackers.

"I heard them speaking Arabic, planning attacks on anyone wearing Maccabi shirts," Asad told Israeli media. "I started speaking Arabic to confuse them, telling them the Jews had left, trying to send them in wrong directions."

While police had escorted fans to the Maccabi Tel Aviv-Ajax game, Asad says they vanished afterward, leaving Israelis exposed. He ran between restaurants and alleyways, warning Jewish fans to hide team merchandise and avoid speaking Hebrew.

"I was terrified they'd recognize me as an Israeli-Arab and kill me," he admitted. "Even when my parents called worried, I couldn't answer - someone might hear me speaking Arabic."

The violence stirred dark memories of October 7. "My heart was burning. I couldn't save everyone, but I tried warning as many as possible," Asad said. "I feel God put me there at that moment to help those I could."

Yeshiva World News contributed to this article.