Sharansky visits The Netherlands: 'Thank you for your friendship'

On March 30th, Natan Sharansky visited The Netherlands. The well-known dissident and human rights activist from the Former Soviet Union and present-day Chairman of the Jewish Agency spoke at several meetings of Christians for Israel Netherlands.

Reliable partner
Sharansky thanked all those involved for the many years that Christians for Israel has been supporting Aliyah through the project 'Bring the Jews Home'. As Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Sharansky is responsible for coordinating the global return of Jews to Israel. 'The support of a reliable partner as Christians for Israel is indispensable,' he said.

Prisoner
Natan Sharansky was born in 1948 as Anatoli Borisovitsj Sjtsjaranski. He grew up in Stalino, present-day Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Sharansky was arrested in the 70s and put in prison because of his struggle for religious minorities in the Soviet Union. One of the charges was his attempt to create possibilities for Jews to leave for Israel, something that was strictly forbidden during the Soviet regime.

Special
After Sharansky addressed supporters in the Israel Center in Nijkerk (Netherlands), he went to Nunspeet, where 'Trio C tot de Derde' gave a cheerful klezmer concert. The atmosphere was good, and the audience listened breathlessly when Sharansky shared his life story. Furthermore, he made clear that in Israel one should not underestimate the importance of the friendship of Dutch Christians: 'In a world where Israel increasingly stands alone, it is special to experience your love and commitment,' he said.

Watch Sharansky's speech in Nijkerk (English, with Dutch translation)

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