privy to that knowledge. However, an indication of the sealed judgment can be discerned by observing each individual’s words and deeds. True believers are urged to heed the voice of their conscience and act rightly. Though righteousness is, in theory, its own reward, it carries the side benefit of providing a welcome clue that one is among the elect.
This history and theology may help to explain why Calvinists were so highly represented among the people who rescued Jews in the Netherlands. For example, the Gereformeerden, though numbering only 8 percent of the population, constituted about 25 percent of the Dutch Resistance.
In 1942 when the deportations first began, both Calvinist and Catholic churches united in writing a declaration of protest. When the Germans demanded that the statement not be read from the pulpits, the Reform Calvinist Church gave in, but the Catholic and the Orthodox Calvinist churches went ahead anyway. Shortly afterwards, the Nazis arrested 700 Catholics and, later, 500 Protestants, all of whom were consideredJewish according to the Nuremburg Laws, although they had converted to Christianity. These Catholics and Protestants whom the Nazis had redefined as Jews became part of that great stream of people being deported to Westerbork and terminal destinations in the east.
THREE
~ RUT MATTHIJSEN ~
CHEMISTRY OF COMPASSION
It is more difficult to crack a prejudice than an atom.
—Albert Einstein
The resistance did not consist only of big personalities, nor were all of its members stationed on the front lines. Rut Matthijsen is a serene, soft-spoken man, long accustomed to the hush of laboratories through his work as a biochemist. His measured words and studied answers to my questions revealed a lifelong habit of precision and reserve, even as his brown eyes beamed affably behind the powerful lenses of his glasses.
During the war, Rut usually worked painstakingly behind the scenes, applying his emerging scientific skill to a variety of technical problems that beset the Utrecht Kindercomité, and the Resistance in general. His quiet confidence, combined with a detail-oriented, analytical mind, made him especially suited to tackle these challenging tasks. His business acumen also came in handy, as he attempted to raise money to literally “save the children.”
In 1942, I was a college student taking summer courses in chemistry at the University of Utrecht when a fellow student asked me if I would allow the room where I slept to be used during the day. “There are people coming from Amsterdam,” he explained, “and they need a stopping-off place that’s close to the station.” Thinking that he might be referring to onderduikers, I said yes. Curious to meet my transient guests, I went home the next day and found members of the Utrecht Kindercomité with some Jewish children in tow. These people were inspiring—unlike some chem students.
Soon I was spending most of my time helping them transport Jewish children to safe addresses. Once the fall semester started, the group got smaller, even as the number of children who needed to be hidden was increasing rapidly. Many of our fellow students said, “Sorry, I have to study.” But a core of ten or fifteen stayed on. A sense of group responsibility arose quite spontaneously between us, and a tremendous bond formed. I trusted them with my life, and they trusted me with their lives as well. You wouldn’t do anything without thinking about how it might affect the others.
Meanwhile, the Nazis were trying to make over the universities, just as they had made over the government. When they suspended the Jewish professors, there were protests, and the students in Leiden and Delft organized strikes. The Germans then closed both universities, though Delft was later reopened. But in Utrecht we didn’t have a strike—we thought we weren’t ready for that yet. And so, a few months later, all Jewish students were suspended. Still no protest. But
This history and theology may help to explain why Calvinists were so highly represented among the people who rescued Jews in the Netherlands. For example, the Gereformeerden, though numbering only 8 percent of the population, constituted about 25 percent of the Dutch Resistance.
In 1942 when the deportations first began, both Calvinist and Catholic churches united in writing a declaration of protest. When the Germans demanded that the statement not be read from the pulpits, the Reform Calvinist Church gave in, but the Catholic and the Orthodox Calvinist churches went ahead anyway. Shortly afterwards, the Nazis arrested 700 Catholics and, later, 500 Protestants, all of whom were consideredJewish according to the Nuremburg Laws, although they had converted to Christianity. These Catholics and Protestants whom the Nazis had redefined as Jews became part of that great stream of people being deported to Westerbork and terminal destinations in the east.
THREE
~ RUT MATTHIJSEN ~
CHEMISTRY OF COMPASSION
It is more difficult to crack a prejudice than an atom.
—Albert Einstein
The resistance did not consist only of big personalities, nor were all of its members stationed on the front lines. Rut Matthijsen is a serene, soft-spoken man, long accustomed to the hush of laboratories through his work as a biochemist. His measured words and studied answers to my questions revealed a lifelong habit of precision and reserve, even as his brown eyes beamed affably behind the powerful lenses of his glasses.
During the war, Rut usually worked painstakingly behind the scenes, applying his emerging scientific skill to a variety of technical problems that beset the Utrecht Kindercomité, and the Resistance in general. His quiet confidence, combined with a detail-oriented, analytical mind, made him especially suited to tackle these challenging tasks. His business acumen also came in handy, as he attempted to raise money to literally “save the children.”
In 1942, I was a college student taking summer courses in chemistry at the University of Utrecht when a fellow student asked me if I would allow the room where I slept to be used during the day. “There are people coming from Amsterdam,” he explained, “and they need a stopping-off place that’s close to the station.” Thinking that he might be referring to onderduikers, I said yes. Curious to meet my transient guests, I went home the next day and found members of the Utrecht Kindercomité with some Jewish children in tow. These people were inspiring—unlike some chem students.
Soon I was spending most of my time helping them transport Jewish children to safe addresses. Once the fall semester started, the group got smaller, even as the number of children who needed to be hidden was increasing rapidly. Many of our fellow students said, “Sorry, I have to study.” But a core of ten or fifteen stayed on. A sense of group responsibility arose quite spontaneously between us, and a tremendous bond formed. I trusted them with my life, and they trusted me with their lives as well. You wouldn’t do anything without thinking about how it might affect the others.
Meanwhile, the Nazis were trying to make over the universities, just as they had made over the government. When they suspended the Jewish professors, there were protests, and the students in Leiden and Delft organized strikes. The Germans then closed both universities, though Delft was later reopened. But in Utrecht we didn’t have a strike—we thought we weren’t ready for that yet. And so, a few months later, all Jewish students were suspended. Still no protest. But
Similar Books
