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Dutch Fishing Town Rescues Jews

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

URK, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Christian residents in the Dutch town of Urk, known for its many churches and fishing traditions, are providing shelter to Jews after the Netherlands’ first pogrom since World War Two.

“These days, it’s more important to spread the Light than ever, and our Light is Jesus and God,” says a young woman talking to an Israeli television crew that has been rescued by residents from Urk.

“And the Light will survive,” she adds. The young woman starts to cry. “I cry because it is very close to my heart. I’ve read thousands of books like World War Two. All those kinds of stories. And now it comes alive in my own [country]. I can see it from your people. I think it’s very awful, and I am deeply ashamed.”

The crew she talks to on a cold rainy winter day near Lake IJssel is among Jews welcomed by the people of Urk, where Israeli flags hang at homes and other buildings. “And in these dark days, we also light up the Stars of David that can be found here,” 60-year-old Ellie Molenaar tells Worthy News. “And I have a Jewish candlestick in front of the window,” she tells a Worthy News reporter with her grandchildren laughing nearby.

Molenaar and others in this town of nearly 22,000 people, some 85 kilometers (53 miles) northeast of Amsterdam, have been shocked that Arab Muslims hunted Jews after the November 7 soccer match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Amaterdam’s Ajax teams.

The events in Amsterdam, in which numerous Jews were injured, prompted Urk to intervene. “A drivers group was formed to transport Israelis, who no longer trusted taxis from hotels to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport,” recalls Robert ten Napel, 54.“Here in Urk, many young men are tied to the Jewish community and Israel.”

With thousands of Jews trapped in hotels and other places amid hit-and-run attacks, he and others in Urk rushed into action after quickly organizing the rescue operation through social media. “You drop your work and go,” says Jan Bakker, 52, matter-of-factly. “Jews can always find refuge in Urk. We had quickly reserved places for them to stay. The town council had previously offered to accommodate Jews and Jewish educational institutions.”

TV CREW

Among them was the Israeli television crew, who had since left for Israel after fleeing Amsterdam to Urk. “They weren’t safe there, so they stayed overnight in Urk,” explains Ten Napel. “The atmosphere was intimidating. You’re standing there facing all these shouting, aggressive types.”

He and other men involved in the rescue operation of Jews have been surprised that Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema allowed a pro-Palestine protest despite an ordinance banning such rallies

“Worse still, a city council member and a municipal advisor participated in the demonstrations and haven’t been dismissed. If the Dutch state allows this, you’ve lost the fight,” Bakker says.

André de Vries, 52, agrees. “When we returned on Sunday evening, we told each other: the lights have gone out for good in Amsterdam.”

Yet in Urk, Christians say they want to show the Jews the Light of Christ in a dark world. Several were involved in driving to war-torn Ukraine to pick up Jews and help them resettle in Israel.

“The warning that our Jewish friends have been sounding since the massacre on October 7, 2023, in Israel is: ‘Now it is our turn, the Jews, the people of Saturday. Soon, it will be your turn, the people of Sunday, the Christians’,” De Vries recalls.

“We are not fearful, but ultimately, the question does arise: ‘What will we do as a Christian community when we are next?’ That reality is among us; we have seen what they are capable of.”

BIBLICAL PROPHECY

Bakker agrees. “The Biblical prophecy that the Jews will one day return to the land of Israel is now coming true.”

But he says it is horrific that many Jews arrive in Israel as refugees looking for a hiding place.

“Years ago, we visited Israel for the first time with a sort of ‘spiritual awareness.’ As Christians walking around there, realizing that the Holocaust, or Shoah, took place in religious Christian Europe,” De Vries explains.

“The Shoah is also part of our history. Therefore, our generation must ensure that the words ‘never again’ become a reality. We want to do things differently and take responsibility,” he adds.

They even received more than 100,000 dollars from two local entrepreneurs to help them in their rescue mission.

Holocaust survivor Phia Baruch has tears in her eyes when hearing about Urk’s compassion. “Almost all of my family died in the Nazi death camps. Urk’s caring for Jews gives me hope,” she tells Worthy News.