d.i.s. magazine a quarterly publication of the Dutch International Society
Volume 52, NO. 3 Winter 2021
• Meditation: Etty Hillesum / Meditatie: Etty Hillesum • Our History in Miniature • Onze eerste kerstboom / Our First Christmas Tree • Koffiecultuur • Why the Netherlands Consulate in Chicago Matters to Michigan
d.i.s. magazine VOLUME 52 NO. 3 Winter 2021 COVER STORY: As a preview of our feature, Our History in Miniature, we share these images: Against the background of a Dutch postcard sent to the US, cleared by Nazi authorities during WWII, we show: a 1994 celebration of the Dutch soccer team that made it to the World Cup finals; promo for a traveling Vermeer exhibit in the Hague after its debut at the National Gallery in Washington, DC: a 1963 child welfare stamp; and portraits of four Dutch queens central to our story. -John Knight
Meditation: Etty Hillesum / Meditatie: Etty Hillesum ................... 4 Our History in Miniature ............................................................... 7 Onze eerste kerstboom / Our First Christmas Tree ..................... 14 Koffiecultuur ................................................................................... 16 Why the Netherlands Consulate in Chicago Matters to Michigan ..... 19 From Our Members ........................................................................ 20 From the Editor ........................................................................ 20 The Dutch Connection Calendar ................................................... 22
Published quarterly by Dutch International Society P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510 ALL CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THE D.I.S. Magazine: For action by the Editor: Dr. Arend Vander Pols 1742 Cambridge DR SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506-4424 editor@dutchinternationalsociety.org For information on advertising and other information: Dutch International Society P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510 info@dutchinternationalsociety.org Periodical postage paid at Grand Rapids, Michigan (USPS #103690) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: D.I.S. Magazine P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510 © Dutch International Society 2021 Opinions expressed in the articles appearing in the magazine are not to be construed as an endorsement by the Board of the D.I.S. Printed in the United States of America.
Dutch International Society Board Members
Matt Helmus, President
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Maria DeLugt Kocsis
Ed Peters, Secretary
Arend Art Wurfel Vander Pols, Vice President
Esther Wurfel, Treasurer
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Meditatie
Meditation
Etty Hillesum
Etty Hillesum
door Frans van Liere
by Frans van Liere
Psalm 42: “Mijn ziel dorst naar God, naar de levende God; wanneer zal ik komen en voor Gods aangezicht verschijnen?”
Psalm 42: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
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n maart, toen de grenzen gesloten werden voor international reizen, stond ik net op het punt om mijn broer in Nederland te bezoeken. Ik had er naar uitgezien. Mijn jongste zoon Thomas (20) zou met mij meegaan. Hij ziet zijn nederlandse ooms en tante, en neven en nichten, niet zo vaak. Anders dan veel Michigan families met nederlandse wortels heb ik maar een kleine familie. Ik heb geen bloedverwanten in de VS, en mijn twee broers wonen in Nederland. Een ervan is ongetrouwd. Het afzeggen van de reis trof mij diep. Het was alsof ik weer rouwde over het sterven van mijn ouders. Wanneer zou ik weer in staat zijn naar Nederland te reizen? Hoe oud zou Thomas dan zijn, tegen die tijd? Meer dan ooit voelde ik me als een balling, in dit leven. Natuurlijk is dit een gevoel dat de bijbelse schrijvers niet vreemd was.
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n March of last year, when the borders closed to international travel, I was just about to visit my brothers in the Netherlands. I was looking forward to it. My youngest son Thomas (20) was to come with me. He doesn’t see his Dutch uncles and aunt and nephews and nieces very often. Unlike many Michigan families with Dutch roots, I have only a small family. I have no blood relatives in the US, and only two brothers in the Netherlands, one of them single. The cancellation of the trip caused a deep pain. It was as if I was mourning the death of my parents again. When would I next be able to travel to the Netherlands? And how old would Thomas be by then? More than ever I felt like an exile. Of course, this feeling was not foreign to the Biblical writers. Psalm 42 says: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come
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Denk aan Psalm 42: “Mijn ziel dorst naar God, naar de levende God; wanneer zal ik komen en voor Gods aangezicht verschijnen?” De Psalmist dacht hierbij waarschijnlijk aan het bezoeken van de Tempel in Jeruzalem. Het is een van de inzichten die Israel gewaar wordt in het Oude Testament, mede door de bittere ervaring van de ballingschap, dat God niet per se op een plek te vinden is. Hij is aanwezig daar waar dorstige zielen naar hem zoeken. In de zomer, mijn drukke agenda beperkt door de maatregelen vanwege het Corona virus, heb ik veel kunnen lezen. Een van de boeken die ik weer ter hand heb genomen is het dagboek van Etty Hillesum, Het Verstoorde Leven. Het maakte een diepe indruk op mij toen het eerst verscheen, in 1981. Het hielp mij destijds om mijn geloof te vinden. Etty Hillesum was een jonge joodse vrouw, die in de jaren 1941-1943 documenteerde hoe de antijoodse maatregelen en deportaties langzaam het leven voor joden in nederland onder de duitse bezetting onmogelijk maakte. Hoewel Etty uiteindelijk via Westerbork naar Auschwitz is gedeporteerd, geven haar dagboeken weer hoe ze in deze jaren juist sterk groeide in haar geloof, in haar ervaring van God’s aanwezigheid, en in haar zelfopofferende liefde voor haar medemens. Indrukwekkend beschrijft Etty hoe ze langzamerhand God binnen in zich ontdekt. Het is niet een ontdekken van iets wat buiten haar is, maar iets binnen in haar dat vaak verborgen voor haar is gebleven. “Binnen in me zit een heel diepe put. En daarin zit God. Soms kan ik erbij. Maar
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and appear before God?” The Psalmist here probably thought of visiting the Temple in Jerusalem. It was the bitter experience of exile in the Old Testament that led Israel to the insight that God is not just to be found in the Temple. He is present wherever thirsty souls are searching for him. In the summer, my usually busy schedule limited by Corona virus restrictions, I had time to read. One of the books I re-read was Etty Hillesum’s diary, The Interrupted Life. It made a deep impression on me as a student, when it first appeared, in 1981, and at the time it helped me to shape my developing faith. Etty Hillesum was a young Jewish woman who lived in Amsterdam, in the years 1941-1943. Her diaries show how the anti-Jewish measures and deportations increasingly made life impossible for Jews in the Netherlands under the German occupation. Etty was eventually deported to Auschwitz, via Westerbork, but her diaries show how in these years she found her faith, experienced God’s presence, and how that translated into a self-sacrificing love for her fellow human beings. In her diary, Etty describes how she gradually discovered God within herself. Not as something outside of her, but something within her that hitherto had been concealed. “There is a very deep well inside me. In it is God. Sometimes I can reach him. But more often there are stones and gravel in front of the well, and God is buried. Then he must be dug up again.” (45) Towards the end of her diary, just before she was deported for
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vaker liggen er stenen en gruis voor die put, dan is God begraven. Dan moet hij weer opgegraven worden.” (45) Een tegen het einde van haar dagboek schrijft ze, vlak voordat ze voorgoed naar Westerbork werd gedeporteerd: “Als je dan al beweerd aan God te geloven, dan moet je ook consequent zijn, dan moet je je helemaal overgeven en vertrouwen. Dan mag je je ook geen zorgen maken over de dag van morgen.” (139) Soms zijn het moeilijke tijden die ons in staat stellen om God weer te ontdekken. Ik wil hiermee niet beweren dat mijn zomer ook maar op enige wijze te vergelijken is met die laatste zomer van Etty. Maar ik ben dankbaar dat ze haar ervaringen heeft kunnen delen, en ik ben dankbaar voor de gelegenheid om God binnen in mij op te graven, door stenen en gruis heen.
good, she writes: “If you claim to believe in God, you must also be consistent; you must completely surrender and trust. You shouldn’t worry about tomorrow.” (139) Sometimes difficult times enable us to rediscover God. I do not mean to suggest that my CoVid summer experience in any way can be compared to Etty’s last summer. But I am grateful that she was able to share her experiences, and I am grateful for the opportunity to discover God anew within me, right through the layers of stone and gravel.
Images: Hillesum in 1939 (Wikipedia), Etty Hillesum: An Interrupted Life the Diaries, 1941-1943 and Letters from Westerbork (Owl Books: 1996), Etty Hillesum memorial paver in front of her house in Amsterdam
Frans van Liere is Professor of Medieval History at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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Our History in Miniature by John Knight
(1) American Airmail
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hen our family immigrated in 1950, I carried two treasures: a sketchbook to use on board the SS Volendam as we crossed the Atlantic; and a stamp collection. My second-hand album of Nederland en Kolonien only showed pictures of stamps from 1852 to 1938. Every few weeks I would spend dubbeltjes en stuivers [dimes and nickels] at a stamp store in Delft to fill in gaps. In the years after the war, I became the envy of friends when I showed off American airmail stamps (1) received from family who had emigrated in the 1930’s. For me, one US stamp brought five or six Dutch ones in trades.
Left (2) 2020 Mayflower, (3) 1920 Mayflower, (4-5) Nieuw Nederland Stamps, (6) Stamp with monument near the St. Johns River in the Jacksonville area (7) 1985 Huguenot Cross
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(8) Willem III, (9) Queen Wilhelmina, (10) M. C. Escher, (11) Drawbridge in Schipluiden with the long Moerdijk bridge behind it
(12-13) The Red Cross, (14-16) Voor het Kind Series
(17) Operation Manna (18) Herrijzend Nederland, (19) Fundraising stamp, (20) Churches in wartime, (21) The resistance, (22) Refugee help, (23) 50 years United Nations
(24) PTT (25) Volksdienst, (26) Honoring Van Roijen, (27) US stamp honoring occupied Netherlands
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For decades, collecting amounted to little more than filling a cookie jar with stamps torn from envelopes; buying occasional new issues at the post office; finding collections at yard sales; and inheriting stamps from our sons who earned merit badges while in cadets then quickly lost interest when they went on to college. To someday organize all those stamps was put on hold. Then came COVID-19 and a forced quarantine existence. For weeks, I caught myself sorting what seemed like tons of stamps spread out on a six-foot table. Boxfuls had to be soaked off envelopes. Still, going through them brought back excitement I hadn’t felt since my early years. As someone with a lifelong career in graphic design, I also treasured my stamps as miniature posters created in someone’s studio. When in October 2020, the USPS released a Mayflower stamp (2). It didn’t take long for me to locate its 1920 companion (3) commemorating this 1620 event. In 1924, the Post Office also came out with a Nieuw Nederland stamp (4) recognizing a group of Huguenots that established Fort Orange (5), now Albany, NY, as a trading post of the Dutch West India Company. Few Americans know that six decades before 1624, a group of Huguenots had come ashore in Florida only to be massacred by the Spanish at the direction of Phillip II. A rare stamp (6) features a small monument near the St. Johns River in the Jacksonville area. DIS members who own a Huguenot Cross may be surprised that in 1985 France, officially a secular nation, finally recognized these persecuted Protestants (7). Era of Four Queens My grandparents, whose butcher shop was located on Emmastraat in Rozenburg, told me much about Emma who was not really a queen but certainly lived the title. Emma von Waldeck-
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Pyrmont was 30-years old when she married the widowed, 60-year old Willem III (8). The following year Emma gave birth to Wilhelmina. When four years later the last of Willem’s three sons from his previous marriage died, it left only Wilhelmina as eligible sovereign to the Dutch throne. Since she was too young to take over the reins of the kingdom, Emma simply took over. Three times she was challenged to form new governments. Refreshingly, Emma proved to be much more accessible to the public than the three Willems had been. Emma (13) also headed up several charities (10): tuberculosis in 1906 and starting in 1924 an annual Voor het Kind (14-16) series. Each stamp used a surcharge as a fundraiser. On the market for barely a month, collectors lined up to buy them, even today. The Genius of Van Royen Jean Francois van Royen as head of the Dutch postal service, PTT, had strong connections to artists in many fields. In 1913, he contracted an architect to design stamps for the centennial of Dutch independence (24). Later, he used artists from other disciplines: Jan Toorop who used woodcuts; photographer Piet Zwart who added an industrial background to his portrait of Queen Wilhelmina (9); and M. C. Escher who playfully used geometric shapes (10). To this day, the Dutch still publish names of stamp designers. In 1932, Piet Schuitema created stamps to promote tourism. Each showed double images: stamp # 11 shows a drawbridge in my birthplace, Schipluiden with the long Moerdijk bridge behind it. The War Years By 1941, German occupation forced anyone involved in the arts: musicians, writers, radio and publishing folks, to join the Nazi Kulturkamer. Anticipating this would happen, van Royen assembled key figures in the arts and media to lay
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(28) Wartime stamp with three generations of royalty, (29-31) Young princesses who had lived in Canada, (32) Queen Julianna (33, 35, 36) Overprints on the Queen’s picture (34) Benjamin Franklin, (37) Republic of Indonesia stamp with a celebrative slogan
(38) Dutch version of identical US stamp, (39) International Court of Justice, (40) US version
(41) Surcharged stamp for flood relief, (42) The Delta Works (43) Queen Beatrix, (44) Three queens who followed in the footsteps of the beloved Emma. (45) Three daughters of Queen Maxima and King Willem
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(46, 47, 48) New calligraphy, (49, 50) Voor Het Kind series
the groundwork for resistance only ten days after the fighting ended in 1940.
‘Manna’ continued for seven more days and saved hundreds of lives. Liberation came none too soon.
To German authorities he became a thorn in the flesh. His beloved PTT was absorbed into a wider, European entity (16). New stamps focused on Germanic symbols. Even the annual Voor het Kind series became propaganda vehicles for Volksdienst (25) which most Dutchmen refused to buy. Early in 1942 Van Royen was arrested supposedly for helping a friend publish a potential subversive book. He wound up in the Amersfoort concentration camp. Summoned to a Sicherheitsdienst (Secret police) office on June 11, his wife Gusta was told that her husband had died the previous day. The officer added, “Der Mensch hat eben Pech gehabt.” A stamp in his honor was issued in 1947 (26). In 1943, the US honored 13 occupied countries by issuing stamps of national flags (27).
The Netherlands released an orange stamp that read Herrijzend Nederland (18). For several years victim assistance stamps were used as fundraisers, (19) some with a surcharge as high as three times the usual postage. In 1950 came Kerken in Oorlogstijd with a Good Samaritan image (20). Revenue helped churches that were destroyed or severely damaged during WWII. Stamps to honor resistance (24), refugees (25) and the liberation (26) continued for decades and often tie in to national commemorative events in May.
Liberation On April 29, 1945, our noon meal was interrupted by the loud drone of bombers, 75 of them, flying very low. They had left England as part of Operation Manna (17) and dropped food to alleviate a starving nation at nearby Ypenburg airport. Teary-eyed we waved at the pilots.
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For Dutch possessions in the Caribbean, a wartime stamp with three generations of royalty (28) reminded citizens that its government was still functioning. Right after the war, the Dutch nation was introduced to young princesses who had lived in Canada (29-31). In 1948, their mother, Juliana (32) took over as queen of the Netherlands and overseas possessions. A tragic flood in 1953 that claimed 2,000 lives called for a surcharged stamp (41) and finally forced the country to put an end to its centuries-old battle against the sea. An ingenious systems of dikes, causeways, and flood gates known as the Delta Works (42) changed shipping and traffic networks
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with added new recreational and nature preserves. Juliana reigned during turbulent times. Her daughter, Beatrix, became queen in 1980. Stamp # 43 shows a photo taken by her husband, Prince Claus. A seven euro stamp (44) honors the three queens who followed in the footsteps of the beloved Emma.
(51) Bronx commemorative sheet
(52-53) Tulips
Since Beatrix and Claus had sons, a century of queens came to an end in 2013 when Willem Alexander became king. But he and queen Maxima only have daughters (45) a future queen as head of state seems likely. Losing an Empire During WWII, the Dutch East Indies were occupied by the Japanese. But stirrings for independence from colonialism had become prevalent. Dutch troops were sent to fight the insurgents with many casualties. At first, Indonesia used overprints on the Queen’s picture (33, 35, 36), but soon issued stamps printed in Austria. One even honored Benjamin Franklin (34) recognizing US pressure on the Netherlands to let go of its former possession. When the last Dutch enclave at Batavia (now Djakarta) was liberated in 1949, the new republic overprinted some of its first stamps with a celebrative slogan (37). This painful event in Dutch history also called into question the future relationship between the Netherlands and Surinam, and other western possessions. A new statute for the kingdom was agreed on in 1954 (41).
(54) Mmm ... Rookworst
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The Netherlands is also home to the International Court of Justice with its own stamps (39). Its Peace Palace, financed by Andrew Carnegie and completed in 1913 today employs 720 people.
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In 1982, the strong bond between the US and the Netherlands, made both countries print identical stamps (38, 40) Dutch Stamps Today: Playful Designs Van Royen would be pleased with the whimsical nature of Dutch stamp design. He had encouraged designers to come up with new calligraphic alphabets. (46 - 48). Often a single word explains why a stamp was issued. One, celebrating 150 years of the Dutch Institute of Engineers, simply says ‘vernuft’ (ingenuity). ‘Voor het Kind’ stamps continue to bring chuckles (49, 50 ) to this day. Turn one of them upside down and you see why. Coming Full Circle In the spring of 1639, a ship of Dutch settlers, including some cattle, arrived at the New Amsterdam harbor. A month earlier they had left the port of Hoorn on the Zuiderzee. The Dutch Republic felt the West India Company had failed to establish enclaves in the New World which the British had successfully done. On board were the newly-wed Jonas Bronck and Teuntje Joriaens with enough resources to buy land. Others on board were less well off. They had lost their fortune in a stock market crash caused by Tulip Mania. Jonas and Teuntje, immigrants with no plans to return, bought a parcel of land we now know as the Bronx. In 1937, a group of New York collectors issued a commemorative sheet in their honor (51). Tulips, a major export item, continue to illustrate stamps of the Netherlands. (52-53) But for all their showiness, few items can claim my own Dutchness as the 2020 stamp “Mmm ... Rookworst” (54).
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John Knight is a life member of Grand Valley Artists, which he joined in 1963. Retired as Director of Communication at Bethany Christian Services, John led the art program at the Franciscan Life Process Center in Lowell, Michigan for eleven years. He keeps busy designing liturgical banners at his studio. John invites you to contact him at knightart1@juno.com.
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Onze eerste kerstboom
Our First Christmas Tree
door John H. Streefkerk
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n december 2019 hebben mijn vrouw en ik een Kerstfeestprogramma in Ada bijgewoond dat georganiseerd was door DIS. Er was gelegenheid om enkele van onze vroegste kerstvieringen te herdenken en het was gewoon geweldig om te horen wat er allemaal werd verteld. Mijn herinnering gaat terug naar het leven in de stad Leiden in het westen van Nederland. Dezelfde stad waar de pilgrims in het begin van 1600 bijna 11 jaar onderdak vonden en werkten. Ook de stad waar Rembrandt zijn eerste opleiding tot schilder kreeg, voordat hij naar Amsterdam verhuisde. Mijn vader was hoofd van een basisschool en had net een nieuwe functie in Leiden aangenomen, na twintig jaar in Alphen aan den Rijn te hebben gewerkt. Mijn ouders geloofden niet dat wij als gereformeerde christenen een kerstboom nodig hadden om de geboorte van de Heiland te vieren. We hadden misschien een paar extra kaarsen, maar dat was het enige qua versiering. Ik verdiende als 14-jarige wat zakgeld door dames nylons op te halen bij verschillende winkels in en rond Leiden, uiteraard met de fiets, en deze op één centrale plek af te leveren. Daar waren twee dames die de “ladders” in de nylons repareerden en de volgende woensdag of zaterdag bracht ik ze terug naar de winkels waar ze vandaan kwamen.
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by John H. Streefkerk
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ack in December of 2019 my wife and I attended the “Kerstfeest” program in Ada as organized by DIS. There was opportunity given to recollect some of our earliest Christmas celebrations and it was just great to hear all that was shared. My recollection goes back to living in the city of Leiden in the western part of the Netherlands. The same city where the Pilgrims found refuge and work in the early 1600 for almost 11 years. Also the city where Rembrandt got his first training as a painter, before moving to Amsterdam. My dad was an elementary school principal and had just taken a new position in Leiden, after having been in Alphen aan den Rijn for 20 years. My parents did not believe that a Christmas tree was something we as Reformed Christians needed to celebrate the birth of the Savior. We had a few extra candles perhaps but that was all in the way of decorations. I, as a 14 year old, earned some pocket money by picking up ladies stockings at various stores in and around Leiden, with my bike of course, and delivering them to one central location. There were two women who “repaired the runs” in the nylons and the following Wednesday or Saturday I would return them to the outlaying stores where they came from. So I had, at 10 cents a pair of nylons, some pocket money and I really wanted to have a
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Dus ik had voor 10 cent per nylon kous wat zakgeld en ik wilde heel graag een versierde boom in onze woonkamer hebben. Uiteindelijk had ik mijn moeder ervan overtuigd dat als ik het zelf zou betalen, ik er een kon kopen. Met al het fietsen door Leiden wist ik precies waar ze verkocht werden en tegen welke prijs. Ik wachtte tot de zaterdag voor Kerstmis en ging naar de enige locatie waar ik hoopte een goede prijs te krijgen. Er waren inderdaad nog 3 bomen over. Twee van hen waren erg aardig, maar een beetje klein en ik wilde een grote. Maar was er een die ongeveer 270 cm(9’) lang was. Bij nader inzien zag ik waarom die boom nog niet was verkocht. Er was een kale plek in het midden van de boom van bijna 90cm (3’). Maar ik kon hem krijgen voor 2 gulden…. Met het kale middenstuk was het gemakkelijk om hem op mijn fiets vast te houden en naar huis te brengen. Ik vond een handzaag in de schuur en zaagde het kale gedeelte eruit en bevestigde met twee spijkers de twee stukken weer aan elkaar. Mijn moeder vond een mooie brede rode strik waarmee ik de verse zaagsnee bedekte en bracht de boom naar binnen. De versiering was voor mijn zussen om voor te zorgen en op de een of andere manier had mijn moeder ongeveer 20 kandelaars van metaal die we aan de uiteinden van de takken konden vast zetten. Echte waskaarsen die een uurtje of zo onder streng toezicht brandden en een emmer met water altijd dichtbij! In latere jaren werden de waskaarsen vervangen door mooie elektrische Philips-kaarsen die eruit zagen als echte kaarsen en werd het brandgevaar geëlimineerd.
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decorated tree in our living room. I finally convinced my mother that if I paid for it myself, I could get one. With all my biking through Leiden I knew exactly where they were sold and at what cost. I waited till the Saturday before Christmas and went over to the one location where I hoped to get a good deal. Sure enough there were still 3 trees left. Two of them were very nice but kind of small and I wanted a big one. Then there was one that was just about 9’ tall. Upon closer examination I saw why that tree had not been sold as yet. There was a bare spot in the center of the tree of almost 3’. But I could get it for 2 guilders…. With the bare midsection it was easy to hold on to it on my bike and bring it home. I found a hand saw in the garden shed and cut the bare section out of it and with two nails reattached the two pieces. My mother found a nice wide red bow with which I covered the fresh joint and brought it inside. The decoration was for my sisters to take care of and somehow my mother had about 20 sheet metal candle holders that we could clip on the very ends of the branches. Real wax candles that were lit for an hour or so under close supervision and a pail with water always close by! In later years the wax candles were replaced with nice Philips electric ones that looked like real candles and the fire hazard was eliminated.
DIS Member John Streefkerk lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Image: Winter in Leiden (2020, Wikimedia)
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Koffiecultuur by Herm De Vries
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ometimes the same thing can be found in various cultures, but what it means in those cultures is quite different. In terms of Dutch versus American culture, this observation comes to mind when I think about a very everyday thing: coffee. Whenever I’m talking to Americans about the Netherlands, I usually soon find myself talking about the Dutch koffiecultuur. Coffee Culture doesn’t say much in English, so what do I mean when I talk about a koffiecultuur in the Netherlands? Well, on one level, the Dutch sure do seem to like coffee and they drink a fair amount of it. Dutch history with coffee as a commodity might certainly explain why. The
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Dutch were early and major traders in coffee, largely because of their presence in Indonesia (which the Dutch used to call East Indies, which immediately brings to mind the East Indies Company, the VOC, which was the world’s first multinational corporation and made gazillions of guilders for the Dutch). It’s not for nothing that a short hand for coffee has long been “Java.” Java is of course the name of one of the major islands in Indonesia. So coffee has meant a lot for the Dutch economy, and that’s helpful background for the koffie obsession in the Netherlands. But it’s not what I mean when I say koffiecultuur. Do I mean that the Dutch drink a LOT of coffee? Depending on which statistics you look at, they do in fact consume a lot of coffee. In 2018,
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Servet Delft “Papieren servetten met Delfts blauwe print. Past perfect bij de bordjes, bekers en koffie sets die zijn ontworpen voor het Rijksmuseum.” Image from https://klevering.com WorldAtlas ranked the Dutch fifth in the world in coffee consumption. However, a 2020 study published in the Canadian University Magazine has the Dutch coming in as the number-one coffee drinking country in the world, topping Finland and Sweden, which claim second and third place. The Dutch apparently drink 8.4 kilograms worth of java per year1. So the Dutch have an economic history of coffee—moving it around the world through their vast shipping networks. And they put a lot of coffee down the hatch on a daily basis. What I mean by koffiecultuur is certainly related to these facts, but it’s still more than that. For the Dutch, coffee is a ritual––one with layers of meaning. The ritual is easily observable to an outsider. Koffie is ingrained in the rhythms and patterns of one’s day. Of course there are exceptions, but my observation is that most people have a fixed time in the morning, say 10:30 a.m., which is coffee time. There are even words for it: koffietijd or koffiepauze. (Even if you
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drink tea or juice then, it can still be called koffiepauze.) Many people will take a coffee break in mid-afternoon too. Perhaps this is reminiscent of or in imitation of the tea time which is a British practice that upper-class Dutch also practiced for a long time. And finally, many people will have the ritual coffee during the ritual evening news viewing at 8 p.m. My related observation is that the Dutch are more patterned—more ritual oriented—than most Americans I know. My impression probably has a lot to do with the nearly religious observance of koffietijd amongst the Dutch. But there’s yet another ritualistic part of the koffiecultuur. And this is another area where I see huge differences between Dutch and North American culture. Koffie marks the welcoming of people or it marks the start or transition of events. If you come to someone’s home—or even just drop by, the odds are very high that you’ll very quickly be offered a cup of coffee. Wil je een kopje koffie? Zal ik koffie zetten? Here’s where koffie begins to mean much more than coffee. This
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gesture is a signal that you are welcome. It’s an invitation to stay for a while (but not forever!). It’s an invitation for a conversation. In a related way, koffie provides the transition between the welcome and the start of the thing you’ve come somewhere for. I often travel with small groups in the Netherlands. We’ve gone, dozens of times, for example, to a school, a church, a university, a business or some such place to meet a local expert or to take in a presentation. Inevitably, the group will be first welcomed to a large table or reception area and offered coffee. Again, it’s not primarily about the coffee. It’s about settling in––about the necessary time for introductions and small talk. It’s about a ritualistic ramping up to the thing you’ve come there for. The same goes for intermissions in an event. I often take my students to a classical music concert when in the Netherlands. There’s usually an intermission, and while that intermission is often as late as 9 p.m. or so, you’ll see at least as many people drinking coffee as those sipping a glass of wine. The intermissions are long, and the coffee provides a structural way, I think, for there to be a long enough time for a true break and some conversation. It goes even deeper. I once knew of a friend who with his spouse was at a Dutch hospital for a consultation with a surgeon. At the meeting, the doctor presented the couple with a devastating diagnosis. The doctor stepped momentarily out of the room, whereupon a nurse came in and, first of all, asked if she could get the two a cup of coffee. The gesture had little or nothing to do with coffee per se and certainly wasn’t at that moment an invitation for conversation. No, the nurse was saying, with the gesture, here: I know you need a moment to process this. Can I help give you a hand with that in this very small way by putting something warm in your hands while you take
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some time to process what you’ve just heard. You might say that, in this sense, koffie meant comfort in the sense of “wishing you comfort.” The Dutch even have an expression that gets at this. Sometimes they’ll call a cup of coffee a “cup of comfort” (kopje troost or bakkie troost). At the end of the day, for the Dutch, koffie is all about form. There is an ingrained form to human, social interaction. Koffie is ultimately a vehicle, even a short hand, for that form. When certain forms—certain practices—show up over and over again in a people we call that culture. And that’s why one of the things you need to understand about the Dutch, if you want to comprehend their culture, is the role of koffie. Heb je zin in een kopje koffie? (Footnotes) Bernard, Kristine. “Top 10 Coffee Consuming Nations.” WorldAtlas, Jan. 5, 2018, worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-coffee-consumingnations.html. 1
Olivia Nelson, “The Countries Most Addicted to Coffee 2020.“ October 4, 2020. https:// www.universitymagazine.ca/the-countries-mostaddicted-to-coffee-2020/
Dr. Herman De Vries Jr is professor of Germanic Languages at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At Calvin, he holds the Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture.
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Why the Netherlands Consulate in Chicago Matters to Michigan by Brendan E. Ringlever
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s home to the largest concentration of Dutch Americans in the country, a small group of us with Grand Rapids ties saw the opportunity to create an organization that could help strengthen the cultural and economic ties between West Michigan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2010, the West Michigan Global Initiative (WMGI) was formed and quickly grew into a robust relationship building organization. With the help of the Netherlands Consulate General’s team in Chicago, our relationship building focus was aimed at bringing business, education and cultural leaders to showcase all that Michigan has to offer. In return, in April 2013, the Lt. Governor, state legislative leaders, and many members of Michigan’s business, educational, and cultural communities attended the state’s first trade mission to the Netherlands, which was instituted by the WMGI. That mission was instrumental in expanding the political and business ties of both regions in order to build on an already strong foundation. As the relationships grew stronger, and with the help of the Consulate General’s team in Chicago, several years later, the Dutch government responded by organizing a very special economic and culture trip to West Michigan led by the newly crowned King and
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Queen of the Netherlands. That trip continued the fostering of strong relationships and help build many partnerships within the business, educational, cultural and medical sectors. Having worked with the consulate on many events, I’ve seen first-hand the importance and impact they make. This year, we celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Netherlands Consulate General in Chicago – 1870 to 2020. While it’s housed in Chicago, the office staff spends a lot of time focusing on Michigan. Most people don’t know that a full 27% of Dutch exports to the US are destined to Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan, which includes a very strong tie within the food, automotive, health care sectors, and many more. They have a lot to protect. Here’s a quick look at the history and purpose of the consulate: • Beginning in 2020, the current Consul General is the 22nd in the office’s history. • The location of the consulate was determined in response to the demands of the growing Dutch population of Chicago and in the Midwest. • The focus and purpose today is economic work, although consular services and cultural ties also remain key to their work. • The consulate serves 13 states – Ohio,
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Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. • While the consulate supports many industries, food, agriculture, and manufacturing are critical. In fact, automotive is so strong that a Memo of Understand between Michigan and the Netherlands was signed in this sector in 2018. • The Consulate regularly meets with the Michigan Legislative Dutch Caucus, which is comprised of legislators that are of Dutch descent. Fun fact: the caucus is managed by yours truly. Here’s wishing you a Happy Birthday and another 150 years of service!
From Our Members Since I am a new member of DIS, I wasn’t sure what to expect when joining the society. The article Food Truck + Fries = Frites Wagon, in the Autumn 2020 periodical, brought back memories of visiting relatives in Winsum, Groningen in the summer of 1970. As a rule, during childhood, I never ate ketchup but always mayonnaise on my fries. One evening, during my stay, we walked to the local food vendor and, to my surprise, the cone of fries had a large dollup of mayonnaise on top. I knew then I was “home”. Looking forward to many more connections.
Brendan Ringlever is a Partner with Michigan Legislative Consultants, Michigan oldest government affairs firm. As a son of a Dutch immigrant, he is a strong advocate for ties with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including his role as a founding advisory committee member of the West Michigan Global Initiative. This involvement led to the state’s first formal Trade Mission to the Netherlands in 2013, and he also served on the Orange Committee, working closely with the Dutch Embassy in Washington, DC to coordinate the visit of the Dutch King and Queen to Michigan. He also manages the Michigan Legislative Dutch Caucus. This article was originally published on the Michigan Legislative Consultants website mlcim.com. Reprinted with permission.
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Mary Okkema Zeeland, Michigan Menheer, my Nederlandse comes from about 1920, so it may in some instances be behind the times. I am first generation American and was born in 1934. Dutch and English were spoken in my family routinely and I could easily converse in either. My father spoke perfect English although with the dreaded Dutch accent. He spoke of a “boek” or a “dullar” etc. My command of the language has faded somewhat, but I understand it pretty well and even can read it somewhat. I listen to dutch CDs and there is one Dutch language program on TV called “Professor T” that I listen to. One thing that surprised me on a show called “The Baantje Mysteries” was how often they called each other “klotsak” which as I know has a far different meaning than stupid or clumsy.
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I find that quite amusing. The Eelmans who came here together were my opa, opoe, two sons and one daughter. All were here by 1920 except my father who was finishing his tour of duty as third mate on an interisland steamship in the East Indies. He finished his tour with the Koningin’s Schipmaatschappij and joined the family in Dunellen, NJ in 1922. As far as Dutch words in our English I have one to add. My family in NY says “you come by us” or “we come by you”. That is from the original Dutch settlers. I have much more to tell, but enough for now. Al Eelman Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
From the Editor What should we call this past year of political unrest, of economic upset and hardship, of pandemic, lockdown, and death? “Gek” hardly seems to capture it, though there is plenty of that going around. Yet our little magazine still comes in the mail (I know - late). I hope it brings you some comfort and that it finds you and yours doing well. When I wrote frequent contributor Richard Martinovich I wasn’t sure how I should date this issue, he replied, “I kind of like ‘Winter 2021’ myself! Good riddance to 2020! Seems quite appropriate to look ahead after a most challenging year!!” So ‘Winter 2021’ it is and if I manage to get four more issues out yet this year the second winter issue will have to be ‘Winter 2021.2’ or something similar.
world itself will become better, even if only a little bit, but that is enough to transmit a bit of hope.” (Pope Francis in his December 2020 address). I am grateful that many of our members have taken this time of lockdown as a chance to share their stories and send them in to share with you. I have received so many submissions I have half of the next issue put together already! One of the comments I hear now and again is where is the “Dutch” in our magazine. Well, this issue has plenty for those of you who want to practice, thanks to Frans van Liere and John Streefkerk, who provided their pieces in both Dutch and English. Thank you to the other authors in this issue, to the advertisers, and to our board and membership for your continuing support of the Dutch International Society. Hoop doet leven! -Arend A. Vander Pols
Dutch International Society Financial Report
I have a lot to be grateful for, and gratitude can lead to hope. "If we are bearers of gratitude, the
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The Dutch Connection Calendar Find the latest event news on our website dutchinternationalsociety.org/dutch-connectioncalendar/ or search Facebook for “dutch international society”. Help us spread the word about Dutch and Dutch American events, exhibits, clubs, fairs or anything related by sending us your events or other items of interest. Tulip Time May 1-9, 2021 Holland, Michigan Event kicks off with the Tulip Time Run on May 1, 2021 8 am Kollen Park. Tulip Immersion Garden open every day Check tuliptime.com or call 800-822-2770 for details.
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DIS Membership and Subscription Form If your name and address are correct on the reverse side there is no need to fill in the form below. Simply mail in the form with your payment. Make any corrections or add your email address if you would like to be added to our membership email list.
Name ___________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________ City
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State/ZIP/Country _________________________________________________ Please add me to the DIS email list ________________________________________ Enclose a check made out to Dutch International Society for $25 US ($50 US outside USA/Canada) for a year membership & magazine subscription and mail to: DIS, P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510. For gift memberships enclose $25 US per membership and include name and address of recipient. Or renew or join online with your credit or debit card at dutchinternationalsociety.org
Is the number above your name and address 2021 or greater? If the number above your name and address block on the back page of the magazine is 2020 or less, it is time to renew your membership. Renew by mailing in the form above or renew online. In order to save on mailing and printing costs the society will not be sending out
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separate membership renewal forms as we have in the past. Your support by renewing, giving gift memberships, and extra donations will help the DIS Board determine the future of our society!
Bedankt! 23
