Crown Princess Beatrix, who will become Queen of The Netherlands an April 30, and her husband, Prince Claus, have quietly manifested a sympathetic interest in Jewish affairs and in Israel over the years. They have done so inconspicuously within the restrictions imposed by protocol.
It is not customary in Holland, as it is in Great Britain, for members of the Royal Family to attend Jewish or other fund-raising functions. But Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus have shown a strong sensitivity to Jewish concerns. In 1972 they cancelled their official visit to the Olympic Games in Munich as a gesture of protest over the murder of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists although the Dutch Olympics Committee did not withdraw from the Games.
They visited Israel several years ago, not officially because the Dutch government would not approve such a visit for political reasons. But they impressed many Israelis with their sincerity and interest, especially by the manner in which they had prepared themselves for the visit. They paid an official visit to Jordan at the time.
Princess Beatrix’s marriage to the German-born Clous von Amsberg aroused furious opposition in Holland where memories of the Nazi occupation are still strong. Prior to their wedding, the couple met with the then Mayor of Amsterdam, Gysbert van Hall, who had been a prominent member of the Dutch resistance and with members of the Dutch. Jewish community who were present at the Mayor’s residence. The latter were impressed by the couple’s wish to have good relations with them.
CORDIAL RELATIONS WITH JEWS
Prince Claus, who studied law in Hamburg as a young man, worked for a time in the offices of a Jewish lawyer. Later, as a junior diplomat of West Germany stationed in the Dominican Republic, he maintained cordial relations with Jewish families there. Similarly, in Ivory Cost, he and Princess Beatrix were friendly with the family of a men junior Israeli diplomat, Avraham Primor.
When the Six-Day War broke out and many African countries severed diplomatic relations with Israel, Princess Beatrix and Prince Clous offered to take the Primers’ young children into their home for protection. The Israelis declined the offer, for obvious reasons. Princess Beatrix, who is 42, will succeed her mother; Queen Juliana. The Queen announced that she will step down from the throne on her 72nd birthday April 30. (By Henriette Boos)
CORRECTION: The story from Jerusalem in Wednesday’s Bulletin dealing with Israel Bonds should have stated that the record soles during the Yom Kippur War was $515 million.
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