The early Christian writer, Tertullian, is well known for his famous statement that "the blood of the martyrs is the seedbed of the Faith." During the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I), many martyrs are directly named. While the 20th century likely has more martyred Catholics than any other century, one of the most recognized victims for the Faith is the important philosopher/nun, Edith Stein (later Carmelite Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.) Dr. Stein was born into a close knit Jewish family in Germany in 1891. By the time Miss Stein began studying philosophy, she had long lost her faith. Through a fortunate occurrence, she read "The Story of a Soul" by St. Therese of Lisieux and this revelatory experience started her conversion to Catholicism. Dr. Stein eventually joined the Carmelite Order and took final vows in 1938. With the attack of the Nazis on German Jews, she and her sister Rosa moved to Holland to escape the Nazi grip. With the conquest of Holland by the Third Reich in 1940, all Dutch Jews were now subject to deportation and death.
This terrible situation put the Dutch Churches in a difficult spot. All the Christian church leaders felt that they were obligated to condemn the horrible actions of the Nazis. Archbishop de Jong of Utrecht finally decided to decry the Nazis horrible actions in an Episcopal letter to be read from all Dutch pulpits on July 26, 1942. The major Protestant churches in Holland agreed to read a similar version of the letter. De Jong told Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the vile Nazi leader in Holland, that the letter was going to be read on July 26, 1942. Forewarned, the Nazi leaders managed to get most of the Protestant churches to change their minds about reading the letter, but were unsuccessful with the Catholic hierarchy. As a result, the letter was read in all Catholic churches and the Nazi retaliation was almost immediate. Nearly all of the 400 or so Catholic Jews were arrested seven days later on August 2, 1942. About 70% of these victims were subsequently released, but 113 went to their deaths in the concentration camps. This group included priests, nuns, religious brothers, single persons and entire families.
Father Hamans gives brief biographies of 28 of the victims. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Dr. Edith Stein) has a detailed account of her life and sacrificial suffering after being arrested. Hamans compassionately records the lives and deaths of these Catholic Jews. The book includes a copy of the July 26, 1942 letter, and a thorough account of the Nazi revenge on the Catholic Jews for the public reading of the letter.
The book raises important questions. How should we respond to terrible moral evil? Should we ever do anything that might put other people’s lives at risk? Christians cannot remain silent in the face of sinful depravity, but what should you do when you suspect that a protest will likely bring down a frightful consequence? These are all complex questions that don’t have easy answers. Father Hamans shows the great faith and courage of the Dutch martyrs throughout the biographies. A number of the Catholic Jews were frightened and terrified of being arrested, but all persevered in the Faith during this dreadful time. This is not a book that is enjoyable to read, but rather a book that is appropriate for our times when Catholics are being martyred in a number of countries. Father Hamans has given remarkable face to heroic martyrdom of the Catholic Jews of Holland. This book is available from Ignatius Press, and a number of Catholic bookstores. I hope you take the chance to read it.
