Dedicated to Meyer Sluyser, who, after The War, wrote so many nostalgic books about Amsterdam’s Jewish life that was all but exterminated.

Today, I suddenly thought of the Dutch military police at Amsterdam airport who protect passengers who fly to or from Israel. These young men and women wear heavy body armor and big machine guns. But they don’t look stern. They almost smile. You simply see the love in their eyes. That’s how dedicated they are to protecting the Jews. They want them safe. It could be that’s how committed they are to democracy’s equality that demands safety for all. But I suspect they also have a special place in their heart for the Jews. The ‘ancient People,’ in the Netherlands, the land of Anne Frank, so mercilessly persecuted, transported, and 91% murdered in WWII. Most of the war, the main Dutch concentration camp, Westerbork, was guarded by the Dutch military police. After the war, the police, who had taken the Jews from their houses or streets, were never purged.

Not a giant leap to the same security personnel who will check your passport upon entering the Low........

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