Granddaughter of Dutch 'Righteous Gentile' dismayed by Israel’s rejection

This is a story about a Dutch woman who loves the people of Israel, her family that hid Jewish people in their attic during the Holocaust, and a strange Israeli law that won't let her in.

Ellen Tjittes woke up to sirens in Jerusalem, unsure what was going on. Having come from her home in the Netherlands to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, she watched as missiles exploded in the sky. The reality of what was happening soon became apparent.

The date was Oct. 7, 2023. “I heard that the government of the Netherlands was sending a big plane to pick us up, but I didn’t want to go,” Tjittes told ALL ISRAEL NEWS. “I didn’t want to go, I wanted to do something.”

A vast chasm of needs opened up after the biggest call up in Israel’s history as thousands were suddenly conscripted, leaving empty spaces in their homes, jobs and communities.

Whether it was helping the elderly with tasks like cleaning, cooking or shopping, looking after children or just encouraging people with kind words, Tjittes saw that she could offer an extra pair of hands and be a comfort in Israel’s hour of need. 

“I called the director of the hospital where I worked as a manager, and asked him if I could extend my holiday to help in the crisis and come back later,” said Tjittes, trying to convey how much there was to do. “But he said I had a contract and was very firm. He insisted on me coming back as soon as possible.” Reluctantly, she returned home. 

Tjittes continued to serve in the best way she could from the Netherlands, recruiting helpers for Israeli farmers, soup kitchens or transport needs, at pro-Israel gatherings and demonstrations in the Netherlands.

She also used her network of contacts to invite people to sign up for a “holiday of helping” and invited helpers to come and gather harvests that were left unattended after all the foreign workers had fled the country.

She helped some 50 Dutch people find a place to help in Israel. But Tjittes was determined to go back to Israel herself.

“I terminated my rental property, quit my job and stored my furniture with a friend and went to Israel in February 2024 on a tourist visa,” said Tjittes.

“There I looked for opportunities to help. I helped in a soup kitchen, I helped a farmer, I helped traumatized mothers through the organization OneFamily. I also helped make packages for Holocaust survivors, I helped an elderly couple because they needed care, and so I was looking where I could serve and help all the time.” 

“I saw how important it is to be there and share love for Jews in this terrible time and tell them that they are NOT alone,” she said. 

Ellen’s love for Israel and its people is strong, and perhaps it’s in her genes. On Jan. 13, 1998, her grandfather, Frederik Jan Kerkhof, was honored with a Yad Vashem medal in the Netherlands as being one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” – a gentile who helped save Jewish lives during the Holocaust. 

“My grandfather was rewarded just before he died actually,” Tjittes told ALL ISRAEL NEWS. Kerkhof died on March 7 the following year. “I’m so happy he was honored,” she continued. “You get a certificate that you are righteous among the nations, and your name is written in the wall in Yad Vashem.” 

Frederik Jan Kerkhof, along with his parents Jan Kerkhof sr and Klaartje van de Waal, helped hide two Jewish brothers, Lodewijk Jacob and Eliezer Blei Weissmann, saving their lives.

While Eliezer was ultimately killed in Rotterdam, his brother Lodewijk remained firm friends with Frederik, and in 1998 the certificate was formally awarded to him by Yad Vashem at Lodewijk’s request, and extended posthumously to his parents as well. 

After visiting the Holocaust Museum two years ago and seeing her grandfather’s name on the wall, Tjittes discovered there was a whole archive of information about his story, and his friendship with the two brothers.

She learned that when Lodewijk passed away they found a huge stack of postcards he had kept from Ellen’s grandfather, sent over the years and testifying to their close friendship. “It’s amazing, it’s very beautiful,” she said. 

In addition to that moving discovery, Tjittes also learned that Frederik’s status granted her the right as his grandchild to stay in Israel. “Really?! I can stay here? It was so overwhelming,” she said.

She was delighted. Instead of going to and fro on three-month tourist visas, she had the opportunity to apply for a B1 visa to stay for a year at a time. She was determined to find out about the procedure.

“For me it is an honor and obligation to come and help, walking in the footsteps of my grandfather,” Tjittes says. She gathered the paperwork necessary, and met all the criteria. However, despite painstaking efforts to provide everything required, Tjittes has been stopped in her tracks by a recent change in the law. 

Both children and grandchildren of “Righteous Among the Nations” are eligible to apply for a B1 visa to stay in Israel which could be renewed annually for five years, after which time it is possible to apply for residency. However, in May 2022 the legal text was modified with just one word. That one word brought Ellen’s world crashing down.

“By adding the word ‘minor’ before grandchildren, they closed the door to many grandchildren of Righteous among the nations,” Tjittes explains. Being over 18 years of age, she has been automatically excluded.

“This is strange because my grandfather was born in 1915 and he has the fourth generation walking around.” Of course, Frederik Jan Kerkhof’s case will not be the exception in this respect. 

“Heroes from 1940-45 likely have no grandchildren of this age,” she says in dismay. Very few apply for visas using this procedure as she learned from staff at the archives of Yad Vashem, but by excluding grandchildren who are over 18 years of age, it’s hard to imagine that there would be any left eligible at all.

“In this way the Israeli government has thought to limit the period of honor for many grandfathers / mothers,” Tjittes said. “This information wasn’t on the website and it was so strange to me. They let you go through the process and then say, sorry! You’re not young enough!”

She added, “But this is an extraordinary time, we’re in a war, and I am here to serve. Through this application I humbly requested to grant me the honor to put my hands where they are needed most. But this request was rejected.”

Tjittes appealed the decision, but was rejected again a second time, and all the reasons she presented as to why she should be accepted were not even considered. “It’s the age,” they insisted. She was devastated, but far from giving up, Tjittes has taken legal advice and is pursuing the matter in court. 

“Whoever saves a Jew is welcome in Israel-family,” Tjittes insists. “This is also in line with Torah. In the spirit of both laws, I made my application. Jewish lives were saved by the courage of my grandfather and his parents, and Israel invited the families of these heroes to come to Israel and live among them."

"This story does not stand on its own – we all know how many families survived the Holocaust because of selfless acts of love and courage. The generation of grandchildren will naturally come to an end, at which time the honor and respect Israel wanted to grant will be fulfilled,” she added.

Joshua Pex, Tjittes’s lawyer, told ALL ISRAEL NEWS, “Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine many have fled to Israel to seek asylum, both Jews and non-Jews. This led to an increased number of applications for Israeli residency based on being a grandchild of a Righteous Among the Nations. The Ministry of Interior, which has been in the hands of the religious political parties for years, decided to change this procedure in order to decrease the numbers of applications granted.”

He added, “Hopefully the Israeli government, and especially the Ministry of Interior, will realize the mistake regarding the new amendment, which all but voids the procedure of any purpose, and change back to the previous version before 2022.”

For now Tjittes has decided to keep the rules and left Israel according to the date on her tourist visa, but plans to return for the court case.

“Since 2018 I’ve been to Israel ten times and this love for the land was growing. For me it was a logical step in my life,” Tjittes said. “I was shocked at this covert way of closing the door.”

She continued, “By making this a more public matter, I hope that the heart behind the request will be recognized. The law can be brought to the attention of this government to see whether the change of law still has support. And also to give me the honor of serving Israel.”

The Ministry of Interior was contacted for a comment on the article. The response was the same given to Ellen Tjittes:

From our review, Ms. Ellen Monique Tjittes submitted a request for status under the "Righteous Among the Nations" procedure. (The procedure applies to a minor grandchild of a Righteous Among the Nations, whereas the applicant is not a minor but an adult.) Ms. Tjittes does not meet the eligibility criteria for the request, and therefore, her application was denied. An appeal was submitted on her behalf to the court, and the matter will proceed through legal proceedings.