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WORLD NEWS Monday 9 noveMber 2020
Dutch Protestant Church admits failing Jews in World War II

By MIKE CORDER in Jewish orphans to return
Associated Press them to their Jewish rela-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands tives after the war.
(AP) — The Dutch Protes- A rabbi who survived the
tant Church made a far- Holocaust also took part in
reaching recognition of Sunday's ceremony, and
guilt Sunday for its failure to recounted his experience.
do more to help Jews dur- "I was 5 years old when I
ing and after World War II, was taken away in April
and for the church's role 1943. I still see agents stand-
in preparing "the ground ing in the front garden of
in which the seeds of anti- our house in Rotterdam,"
Semitism and hatred could Rabbi Les Vorst said. He
grow." and his parents, sister and
The long-awaited, historic two brothers were sent to a
statement came at a sol- Dutch concentration camp
emn ceremony to mark at Westerbork, then trans-
Monday's anniversary ferred to another camp.
of the Nazis' anti-Jewish "The conditions there were
Kristallnacht pogrom, or the unbearable. People were
"Night of Broken Glass." abused, people were los-
On Nov. 9, 1938, Jews were ing their minds, walking na-
terrorized throughout Ger- ked in the camp, suffering
many and Austria. At least Rene de Reuver, speaking on behalf of the General Synod of the Protestant Church in the constant hunger, even eat-
91 people were killed, Netherlands, reads a statement at the Rav Aron Schuster Synagogue in Amsterdam, Netherlands, ing butterfly cocoons," he
hundreds of synagogues Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. Associated Press said. In March 1945, he said
burned down, around 7,500 the camp's prisoners were
Jewish businesses vandal- transported to eastern
ized, and up to 30,000 Jew- isolate the Jews in society in ported, along with Roma God and against people. Germany and expected
ish men arrested, many of such a way that they could and Sinti, and killed in Nazi The Protestant Church is to face the gas chamber,
whom were taken away to be taken away and mur- concentration camps. also part of this sinful his- but Soviet soldiers liberated
concentration camps. dered," De Reuver said. In a statement to the Neth- tory." them on April 1.
René de Reuver, speak- "Also in the war years, the erlands' Jewish community, He acknowledged that the "My mother didn't survive.
ing on behalf of the Gen- ecclesiastical authorities de Reuver ackowledged it problems didn't end with Mama was weakened
eral Synod of the Protestant often lacked the courage had taken far too long for the Nazi defeat in 1945, from the hunger in that aw-
Church in the Netherlands, to choose a position for the the church to recognize its noting problems with res- ful train transport and was
said the church's role be- Jewish citizens of our coun- role, adding: "We hope it is titution of property to the buried in a mass grave by
gan long before Adolf Hit- try," he added. not too late." Jewish community when the railroad tracks," he said.
ler came to power in Ger- More than 100,000 Dutch "The church recognizes some returned from con- Other family members con-
many. Jews — 70% of the Jewish faults and feels a present centration camps, and the tracted typhus. Vorst finally
"For centuries a rift was community — didn't survive responsibility," he said. "An- resistance of some Chris- made it home in March the
maintained that could later World War II. Most were de- ti-Semitism is a sin against tian families who had taken following year.q
Israeli protesters look for inspiration in in Biden victory

By MAYA ALLERUZZO for the Israeli leader as well. the Palestinians to sever ties
Associated Press "Trump Down, Bibi to go," with the U.S.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Several read one banner, using Ne- Biden has said he will not
thousand Israelis on Satur- tanyahu's nickname. "Ne- move the embassy back
day attended the weekly tanyahu, You're Next," read to Tel Aviv, but has signaled
demonstration against another. he will take a more even-
Prime Minister Benjamin Ne- Despite his stated commit- handed approach toward
tanyahu in Jerusalem, with ment to bipartisan ties with Iran and the Palestinians.
some participants express- the U.S., Israel's closest and "I feel that to truly make
ing hope that Joe Biden's most important ally, Netan- progress with the peace
victory in the U.S. presi- yahu has frequently been and negotiation with the
dential race would bring seen as siding with the Re- Palestinians, which is the
changes in Israel as well. publicans. most important path of
The protesters have been After taking office, Trump peace, we need a United
gathering outside Netan- unilaterally withdrew the States that's more neutral, An Israeli protester holds a sign calling for the ouster of Prime
yahu's official residence for U.S. from Iran's nuclear deal that's more a bridge be- Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, using his nickname "Bibi," shortly
over four months, calling with world powers, winning tween us and the Palestin- after results of the U.S. presidential election were announced,
on him to resign for his han- praise from Netanyahu. ians," said protester Shani during a protest against Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Saturday,
dling of the coronavirus cri- Trump also delivered a Weissman. Nov. 7, 2020.
sis and his ongoing trial on series of additional diplo- In the West Bank, senior Pal- Associated Press
corruption charges. matic gifts to Netanyahu, estine Liberation Organiza- ed. the late Israeli Prime Minis-
Netanyahu is one of Trump's including his recognition tion official Hanan Ashrawi In Tel Aviv, meanwhile, ter Yitzhak Rabin.
closest allies on the interna- of contested Jerusalem as tweeted "America De- thousands of people at- Rabin was gunned down
tional stage, and some pro- Israel's capital. That step, trumped!" tended a memorial service by a Jewish ultranationalist
testers hoped that Trump's along with moving the U.S. "The world also needs to be marking the 25th anniver- opposed to his peacemak-
defeat would spell trouble Embassy to Jerusalem, led able to breathe," she add- sary of the assassination of ing with the Palestinians.q