IN MEMORIAM: Rev. Jaap de Vreugd

On August 06, 2024, Rev. Jaap de Vreugd passed away. In the morning I had read Psalm 121 together with his wife Dicky and children and grandchildren at his bedside, and we prayed for him. Especially verse 8 KJV impressed us:

“The Lord will watch over your going out [from this life] and your coming in [into the everlasting life of the age to come] from this time forth, and even forever more.”

In the afternoon at 5 p.m., he passed away. A great loss for all of us. First and foremost for his wife, children and grandchildren, who will truly miss him. But also for all in the worldwide family of Christians for Israel. With great wisdom and thoughtfulness, he led the work of Christians for Israel in the Netherlands with determination as chairman of the Dutch Board. And after having stepped down from this position he then served as editorial board member of the free monthly newspaper “Israel Aktueel” and of the theological periodical “Israel and the Church”. He gave direction to further development of biblical and theological reflection on Israel and the Jewish people – inspired by a vast reading and knowledge of the literature on Israel and Judaism. His personal contacts with many Jewish friends in the Netherlands and in Israel undoubtedly contributed much to an increasing mutual respect between many believers in Christianity and the Jewish people. Great impression was made in Israel when he addressed the Jewish audience there in fluent modern Hebrew in his speeches.

He was born March 28, 1945 and grew up in Katwijk (a village at the shores of the North Sea) and studied theology at the University in Utrecht, 1964-1969 under a famous Dutch theologian Prof. Van Ruler and others. He then became a Dutch Reformed pastor in Haaften 1970-1975; Bodegraven 1975-1982; Amersfoort 1982-2006. In 1978 he led a trip to Israel for the first time. Dozens more would follow, but that first trip hit him like a bomb. Especially during the visit at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, he suddenly understood in his spirit and his mind that the Lord God revealed to him that the chosen people of Israel that we read about in the Bible are still alive today and that God will remain faithful to Israel forever. Overwhelmed by the understanding that the Most High gave him this personal experience over there, in Jerusalem, he then committed himself for the rest of his life more than ever before to Israel and the Jewish people.

Since then he became involved in works in Israel first with Nes Ammim, a kind of Christian kibbutz in Israel – in addition to other national positions, including as president of the HGJB, a Dutch Christian Young people movement. Also in various official committees of the National Church to enhance a better theological and biblical understanding of Israel and the Jewish people (the ‘Zicht op Israël – Bezinningscomité’). In addition to that he served as a member and acting president of the Reformed Council for Church-Israel Relations. Since the 1990s he served as a board member and later president of Christians for Israel-Netherlands. He was involved in the founding of “Christen an der Seite Israels” in Germany and with C4I International. There followed many speaking engagements for Israel, articles in the newspaper and in the theological publication of the periodical ‘Israel and the Church’ (of which he was editorial chairman from the beginning), and he also published a book: The Miracle Of Israel. He maintained many personal contacts in the Jewish community in the Netherlands and in Israel. May his memory continue to be a great blessing and inspiration to us all.

Rev. Willem J. J. Glashouwer
President Christians for Israel International