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Nieuwlande |
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A unique instance of collective rescue activity took place in the Dutch village of Nieuwlande. In 1942 and 1943 the village inhabitants resolved that every household would hide one Jewish family or at least one Jew. Given the collective nature of the activity, the danger to the village was small, there was no fear of denunciation since all the village dwellers were partners to the "crime". All 117 inhabitants of that village were recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations". Arnold Douwes, the son of a pastor, was recruited for the underground by Johannes Post, a farmer and town counselor in the village of Nieuwlande. Post had never had very much to do with Jews or Judaism, but when antisemitic measures were introduced, he threw himself body and soul into the effort to help Jews on the run. Already before Post's death Douwes had taken over. Jews ordered to report to Westerbork were sent to him by the undergound. He in turn, scoured the countryside to find families to shelter them. In addition, Douwes provided the fugitives with food, new identification papers, and financial support. On June 18, 1988 a monument to honor the village of Nieuwlande was built in Yad Vashem, on the way down to the Valley of the Communities. |
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| Copyright ©2004 Yad Vashem The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority |
