Dutch Christians celebrate Jerusalem Day in Nijkerk with an exhibit on city’s Jewish history

On Jerusalem Day, about 100 pro-Israel Christians gather in the Dutch town of Nijkerk for the opening of an exhibition on the capital of the Jewish state.

The exhibition in the headquarters of the Christians for Israel group is titled “Israel under the magnifying glass” and focuses on Jewish history throughout the ages.

“Part of the message is that Jewish presence in the Land of Israel predates 1948 by several millennia,” says Frank van Oordt, the director of Christians for Israel, which his father Karel founded about 40 years ago. It has thousands of supporters and an Israeli products shop with 20 employees and a turnover of several million dollars.

Frank van Oordt hands Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs scissors to cut the ribbon of the exhibition, which features virtual reality views of Israel, an archeology-themed sandbox for children, and a short film about the destruction caused in Jerusalem by invaders and its restoration by Jews. The film also describes atrocities committed by Crusaders against Jews in the 2nd century.

“Christians have been responsible for a great deal of hate and suffering of Jewish people and that’s something we want to convey to our public,” says Frank van Oordt.

Jacobs addresses the exhibition’s title, saying in a speech: “Israel is often put under a magnifying glass to find things that aren’t there, like genocide and apartheid. Finally, here, it is under the magnifying glass to truly be observed. It’s a worthwhile effort.”

Van Oordt is asked whether it’s appropriate to celebrate Jerusalem Day when Israel is at war and has over 100 missing hostages. “Judaism teaches us it is always worthwhile to celebrate the good in life,” he says.

Fentay Alamu-Maharat, the head of public diplomacy at the Israeli embassy in the Netherlands, thanks the Christians in attendance. “As a Jew, a woman, a mother, you give me hope for a better world,” she tells the crowd, who applaud her enthusiastically.