The Dutch Christians in the
Netherlands and their effects on
Jewish Identity
by Dr. Benjamin H. Cassutto
Yad Vashem
Holocaust Educators Conference
August 8-12, 2004
Introduction
• Lightbeacon Ministries Mission Statement
– To be a bridge between the mainline
denominational Church and Judaism through:
• Articles and presentations concerning
Jewish culture, holidays, and history
• Books- “Buried Treasure”, “The Last Jew of
Rotterdam”- more in the works
• Sharing with the Church how to relate to
and understand the importance of their
Jewish Roots and Judeo-Christian culture
• Being an information resource to Jewish
people on alternate forms of Judaism such
as Biblical and Messianic Judaism
Introduction (continued)
• Family History
– Parents were Holocaust Survivors in Holland
• Ernest and Elisabeth survived the Holocaust
– Both families - Sephardic Jewish
• Many members (Grandparents, Uncles,
Cousins) suffered or died in Shoa
• Many family members still remain in the
Netherlands
History of Dutch Jewry
• 1492- Spain expelled Jewish Population
– Queen Isabella, King Ferdinand
– The Alhambra Decree
– Quuen (and many other Christians) thought the Jews
“killed” Christ
• They fled to Portugal- forcibly baptized
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–
–
–
Over next 100 years they fled to Holland
Wanted to live as Jews
Holland at war with Spain
Called themselves “Portuguese Jews”
– Also came from other countries such as Italy
History of Dutch Jewry
• 17th Century- Ashkenazi Jews come to
Holland
– Actually larger than Sephardic community
• Three synagogues– Beth Jacob, Neve Shalom, Beth Israel
– Combine in 1639 to form Talmud Torah
– Portuguese Jewish Community in Amsterdam
which still exists today
• It is the synagogue which both families worshiped
Elly and Ernest after the Holocaust
The Stories of Ernest and Elly
• Cassutto Family – Very liberal non-practicing Jewish family
– Isaac Cassutto- called to Indonesia
– Max and Ernest- Born in Indonesia
– NO synagogue or Rabbi in Indonesia
– Ernest not circumcised
• Family back in Holland
– Was practicing
– Ernest’s grandfather- president of Jewish
Community in The Hague
– 1936- Family moves back to Holland
The Stories of Ernest and Elly
• Rodrigues Family
– Very religious practicing Jews
• worshipped in Portuguese synagogue
– Lived in Jewish section of Amsterdam
– Elly and older brother Henri went to same
schools as Anne Frank
– Her Grandfather was Rabbi or Moil
– Abraham Rodrigues was a textile merchant
Elly (Elisabeth) and Henri after the Holocaust
Jewish Life in Holland
• Jews were merchants
– They had full religious freedom
– As in other European countries they were
fully integrated into society
• Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews
intermarried
– Cassutto (Sephardic) married Winkel
(Ashkenazi)
– Rodigues married Coopman
• Amsterdam- largest community
– Other communities in The Hague, other
cities
The street where the Rodrigues family lived from 19291940 in the Jewish section of Amsterdam.
The street where Anne Frank actually lived. This is not the
place where she was hidden. It is just six blocks away from
the Rodrigues residence in southern Amsterdam.
The Holocaust in Holland
• May 10th, 1940
– Hitler invades Holland
– Holland was neutral in World War I
• Nazi government promises little changes
– Dutch soldiers immediately released
• November 1941
– All Jews must register- how many Jewish
grandparents
– Nuremberg and other laws passed in Holland
• Jews had curfew, no Jews in public places,
separate schools, separate shops, no radios
The Holocaust in Holland
• June 1942
– Jews (Elly, Ernest) must wear Jewish Star
– Nazis call men such as Ernest to “labor
Service” in Germany
– Jewish “Raad” or board formed to work with
Nazis
• After Jewish Star– Deportations begin in Amsterdam
– Many families go into “hiding”
– Stories of Diary of Anne Frank, The Hiding Place
The Hiding of Jews in Holland
• Many Dutch citizens “hid” Jews during the
Holocaust
• Reasons– Ethical (moral) - the humane treatment of
others
– National - to work against the Nazi regime
– Cultural - Jews had lived among other
Hollanders for centuries
– Religious - The Jewish people are part of
G-d’s plan, cannot be destroyed
Ernest and His first fiancee- Hetty
Ernest Cassutto and his fiancee Hetty were hidden by Dutch
Christians,starting in 1942. Hetty died in Auschwitz, but
Ernest was hidden in 44 hiding places by the Dutch
“underground” and survived the holocaust.
Bert Bochove hid Elly Rodrigues and her family for eleven
months not so much for religious reasons, but because it was
the “right” thing to do. According to Bert- “I didn’t grow up
with the idea you needed “Christ” to make it”.
Corrie Ten Boom and her family on the other hand, had a
strong Christian faith and understanding of the importance
of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel in G-d’s plan of
salvation.
Elly and Henri’s First Hiding Place
The Rodrigues family was hidden in this pharmacy
for eleven months until the Nazis found them out.
They escaped from here just in time.
Miep Gies, now 91 years old is still speaking about how she
hid the Frank family. According to her, “My decision to
help Otto was because I saw no alternative”.
According to Anne Frank, her hiding place was in the
Prinsegracht was “relatively spacious”. According to Elly,
her hiding place was not.
After “the pharmacy”, Elly and Henri were taken in by the
Bogaarts’ sisters, Henri, by Annie Bogaarts Ketel, and Elly,
by Grietje Bogaarts, pictured here.
The Hiding of Jews in Holland
• Elly and Henri’s “Jewish” dilemma
– They must blend in with the non-Jewish populationno longer in “hiding”
– They retain new names (Elly van Toll), new
identities
– They must learn about “Christianity” to survive.
– Go to a Christian school
– They must learn Christian worship, go to church
– Their father tells them to do so to survive
– They will forget about this and retain their Judaism
after the war
The Hiding of Jews in Holland
• Ernest Cassutto’s “Jewish” dilemma”
– Ernest knew practically nothing about
Judaism or Christianity
– He couldn’t understand why he was being
persecuted as Jew
– He couldn’t understand why these
Christians were risking their lives for him
– He had to rely on them for everything in
order to survive
The Hiding of Jews in Holland
• Why did these Christians hide Jewish
people?
– They believed the Jews are G-d’s chosen
people- Elly and Ernest are brothers and
sisters of the Messiah, in the flesh
– They believed it would bring them
“blessing”- Genesis 12:3
– They believed it was commanded Matthew 25:31-46
– They believed that the Jews and Israel are
critical to G-d’s plan for the World
• The Jewish nation should not be destroyed
The Hiding of Jews in Holland
• What did Elly and Ernest learn from this
situation?
– The people who helped them did so out of
love, not pressure to change their beliefs
– The reasons for Jewish persecution over
the ages are not held by true Christians
– The faith and beliefs of their rescuers
allowed them to risk their lives
– The Jewish faith has a greater purpose
than just a rich tradition and history. The
Jews and Israel are a part of G-d’s plan for
this World
The Hiding of Jews in Holland
• Epilogue
– Elly’s parents die in Auschwitz
• Elly is adopted by Grietje, and becomes a
Christian
• According to Elly, she could not have
survived without Grietje, who adopts her.
• Henri does not become a Christian, actually
he becomes an atheist for many years, then
becomes a practicing Jew
– Ernest Cassutto becomes a Christian
• He leads his family to Christianity
• Ernest attributes his survival to the love and
deeds of the Dutch Christians
• Ernest and Elly meet in 1948 and are
married on 22 April 1949
Elly and Tante “Grie” after the Holocaust
Tante “Grie” Enshrined at the Holocaust Museum
in Washington, D.C.
Discussion
• How do we as Jews come to terms with Elly,
Ernest, and Henri’s Jewish identity crisis?
• Were the Nazis who professed so during the
Holocaust, truly Christians?
• Did the Christians who hid Ernest and Elly
pressure them to change their belief
systems?
• What is the fate of someone whose religious
beliefs are challenged by dire circumstances?
– Change and increase in faith in G-d
– Decrease in faith, and belief in G-d
Questions?
Thank you for your attention!