Eighty years after the events, new research has unveiled the identity of a Jewish informant who was coerced into betraying Jews and their Dutch protectors during the Holocaust. Karl Kaufmann, a 23-year-old Jewish student, faced an impossible choice when the Nazis threatened him with death – a choice that would lead to tragic consequences for dozens of people, including himself and his own family.

For years, the home of Rika van der Lans and Waldemar Nods in the Dutch village of Scheveningen served as a sanctuary for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution during the Holocaust. This haven of safety was shattered in late 1944 when Nazi forces raided their home, arresting Rika, Waldemar, their 14-year-old son Willy (later known as "Sonny Boy"), another Dutch citizen, and four Jews who had found refuge in their home. All were sent directly to concentration and death camps.

The revelation about Kaufmann's role emerged through meticulous research conducted by author Trudy van der Wees, who examined recently opened Dutch archives of Nazi collaborators. The discovery came while she was researching a book about Cornelis (Kees) Chardon, a Righteous Among the Nations and resistance hero who saved hundreds of Jews during World War II. Chardon, a lawyer who established an extensive network of safe houses for Jews in The Hague area, was also turned in to the Nazis and murdered in 1945 at the Wobbelin concentration camp.

Through documents found in the Dutch collaborators' archive, van der Wees uncovered the complex and harrowing reality of the period. Kaufmann's collaboration with the Nazis began after his arrest, when he was presented with what appeared to be a lifeline – cooperate by providing information about Jews hiding in Dutch homes, and his family would be spared from the death camps. According to van der Wees, Kaufmann faced a "horrifying dilemma," and his subsequent collaboration led to the betrayal of dozens of people. The Nazis' promise proved hollow – Kaufmann's family members were murdered, and Kaufmann himself was arrested in February 1944 and killed at Auschwitz two months later.

The story gained widespread attention after a Dutch production studio created a film chronicling the remarkable love story between Rika van der Lans, a 37-year-old Dutch mother of four, and Waldemar Nods, a 20-year-old student from Suriname. The film depicts van der Lans's journey from divorcing her religious husband after his affair with their housekeeper to meeting Nods and becoming pregnant with his child. When her former husband discovers the child's dark skin, he rejects any reconciliation. The couple finds support from an elderly Jewish man who offers them shelter, and later, they reciprocate by sheltering Jews during the Nazi occupation – until their betrayal.

The couple met a tragic end – van der Lans was murdered in 1945 at Ravensbrück camp, while Waldemar died in a bombing just two days before his camp's liberation. Their son Willy survived the war but passed away in 2015 at age 85, never knowing who had betrayed his family.

Eline Penewaard, Holocaust historian for CIDI (Center for Information and Documentation Israel), an organization monitoring antisemitism in Holland, emphasizes the significance of the archive's opening: "The 'Sonny Boy' affair demonstrates how crucial these records are for providing closure in countless unresolved cases."

Penewaard explains that the Nazis employed various methods to locate Jews, including offering substantial monetary rewards to Dutch citizens who would inform on Jews and their protectors. This incentive drove many to actively hunt for hidden Dutch Jews. The regime also systematically coerced Jews into becoming informants through false promises of safety for themselves and their loved ones.

"This case powerfully illustrates the razor-thin line between victims and perpetrators," Penewaard noted, "and starkly demonstrates the Nazi regime's criminality in forcing victims to become perpetrators themselves."

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The Dutch victory in the Euro quarter-finals against Turkey (2:1) caused mixed feelings in the Netherlands, as a significant portion of its population is of Turkish origin and supported their homeland during the game. Most of them were proud of President Erdogan's presence in the stands in Berlin during the game and defended his hono shortly after the final whistle.

The one who sparked a commotion, which might spill from social networks to the streets of Amsterdam and beyond, is the leader of the "Party for Freedom (PVV)", Geert Wilders, known for his right-wing views and disdain for immigrants. In these days of political changes across Europe, he might also lead the next government in the Netherlands as a prominent coalition member.

Wilders, who never hides his views and has experienced an assassination attempt in the past, posted a mocking tweet after the Dutch victory, in which he appears laughing and happy, facing a sad-looking Erdogan. The tweet caused many to rage against him, although he also received broad support, including Jews and Israelis. This was enough to awaken anti-Semitic sentiments.

#NEDvTUR #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/LRjVB61Vtj

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) July 7, 2024

"He is drowning in Jewish money," responded an Erdogan supporter, who posted an image showing Wilders with a kippah bearing the Star of David, next to an anonymous politician, seemingly Jewish, who appears to be urinating "shekels" on him via animation. Another Turkish user wrote: "It's no wonder Wilders stands on the evil side of the Jews." And in another response, the next threat already emerged: "The Turkish Empire will reach you soon," hinting that Muslims will conquer all of Europe.

"Although I am happy that the Netherlands won, despite being a proud Turk, don't associate all of us with Erdogan. Your tweet is childish and shameful," continued the criticisms. "It's a shame all you know is how to spread hate and divide," summed up another user on Wilders's tweet, who frequently repeats his public opinion that Islam is a dangerous religion.

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Yossi Cohen, the former director of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, allegedly issued threats to a chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) during a series of clandestine meetings several years ago in order to torpedo its investigation against Israel.

According to The Guardian newspaper, Cohen's covert contacts aimed to pressure Fatou Bensouda into abandoning a war crimes investigation regarding its conduct in the Palestinian territories by Israel. Cohen's undisclosed approaches to Bensouda occurred in the years preceding her 2021 decision to launch a formal probe into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinians. This investigation shifted into high gear in the wake of the ongoing Gaza war and earlier this month Bensouda's successor, Karim Khan, announced plans to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three Hamas leaders.

Appointed as Mossad chief by Netanyahu in 2016 after serving as his national security advisor, Cohen personally led the spy agency's near-decade-long campaign to undermine the ICC, according to sources. His activities were authorized at the highest levels, justified by the perceived threat of prosecutions against Israeli military personnel. Sources familiar with the operation allege that Cohen attempted to "compromise the prosecutor or enlist her as someone who would cooperate with Israel's demands." One source described Cohen as acting as Netanyahu's "unofficial messenger."

Yossi Cohen, then Netanyahu's Mossad director, threatened ICC chief prosecutor, Fatou Benaouda, as part of a (failed) Israeli effort to pressure her to abandon a war crimes investigation regarding the occupied Palestinian territories. (I too heard this.) https://t.co/0Ato74BIsn

— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) May 28, 2024

Bensouda reportedly briefed senior ICC officials about Cohen's persistent and increasingly threatening behavior, including an alleged statement urging her to "help us and let us take care of you. You don't want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family."

The Mossad also obtained transcripts of secret recordings of Bensouda's husband, which Israeli officials attempted to use to discredit the prosecutor, according to two sources who spoke with The Guardian. While a spokesperson for Netanyahu's office dismissed the allegations as "false and unfounded," legal experts suggest Cohen's actions could constitute offenses against the administration of justice under the ICC's founding Rome Statute.

"Four sources confirmed that Bensouda had briefed a small group of senior ICC officials about Cohen's attempts to sway her, amid concerns about the increasingly persistent and threatening nature of his behaviour," the paper said. The revelations come as Khan warned he would prosecute "attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence" ICC officials. A court spokesperson confirmed Khan's office had faced "several forms of threats and communications that could be viewed as attempts to unduly influence its activities."

The Guardian said a spokesperson from Netanyahu's office issued the following statement: "The questions forwarded to us are replete with many false and unfounded allegations meant to hurt the state of Israel." Cohen did not respond to a request for comment. Bensouda declined to comment.

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According to information obtained by the Israeli watchdog NGO Monitor, The Netherlands has redacted documents attesting to its funding of a controversial Palestinian group that has been actively trying to promote construction in areas that are supposed to be under Israeli control under the Oslo Accords.

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According to NGO Monitor, "The Netherlands provided €19.8 million to a number of Palestinian NGOs, primarily the terror-linked Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) – and in partnership with the Palestinian Authority – to utilize agriculture strategies for expanding their control in Area C."

In light of these ties, earlier this year the Dutch government announced it was severing contact with that group, but these redactions suggest the ties may still exist.

"In an October 30, 2020 statement accompanying the release of documents regarding these efforts, Dutch ministers announced that 'information has been concealed if it is information the disclosure of which creates the risk of possible destruction or confiscation by Israeli authorities and settlement residents,'" NGO Monitor said on Wednesday.

"Consistent with this approach, Dutch government officials redacted significant information from UAWC's financial reports, audits, and annual reports for the years 2017-2020 – released pursuant to an information request from Dutch parliamentarians. This includes the names of NGO employees, the locations of project implementation, future recommendations, risk responses, subcontractors' information, and activities carried out by the implementing partners (see Appendix I and II)."

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