The Yad Vashem Award was presented here Tuesday to 40 Dutch families or groups who saved Jewish lives during the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II.
The presentations were made by the ambassador of Israel, Zeev Suffoth, in the presence of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Although the award has been made here on 25 previous occasions, this was the first time a member of the Dutch royal family attended the ceremony.
The queen’s presence was in acknowledgement of the 40th anniversary of Israel’s independence, to be celebrated next week.
According to Suffoth, 3,000 Yad Vashem awards have been made in Holland to date, and several hundred more are to follow.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
