Betsie ten boom german brutality

Public apologies do not come easily, especially from heads of state. So, when the Netherlands’ Prime Minster Rutte delivered a historic apology at an event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz (January 27, 1945), many paid attention.

The Prime Minister highlighted the tragic truth that before the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, approximately 140,000 Jews were living in the country, and afterward only 38,000 remained. Rutte acknowledged that those in leadership simply did not do enough to protect their Jewish friends and neighbors, and in sum apologized for not putting up more of a fight.

However, there were those who did stand up to the evil in their midst.

An unsuspecting group of Christian freedom fighters opened their doors, smuggled ration cards, built trap doors, and risked their lives for the sake of their persecuted neighbors. Casper Ten Boom (age 83), and his tw