Netherlands Jewish leader tortured and robbed at home by four men
Benoit Wesly, a 73-year-old businessman, woke up early Sunday morning to find the assailants around his bed in his home in Maastricht
A Netherlands Jewish leader was assaulted, tortured and robbed in his home by four masked men in an apparent planned operation.
Benoit Wesly, a 73-year-old businessman, woke up early Sunday morning to find the assailants around his bed in his home in Maastricht, Jonet.nl reported Thursday. His wife was out of the country.
Police are investigating the motives for the crime. Reports about the incident did not indicate whether they or Wesly have reason to believe he was chosen because of his Jewishness. Wesly is a leader of the Jewish community in the Limburg region, in the south of the Netherlands.
Wesly was beaten, pushed down the stairs, stabbed and kicked, according to the report. Then the men tied him to a chair, placed a piece of cloth over his mouth and nose, and poured water on the cloth – a torture technique known as waterboarding that simulates drowning — until he gave them the combination to his safe, Wesly told police.
He was bound to the chair for several hours before wriggling free and going to the police station.
House invasions involving torture are rare in the Netherlands, as are attacks against Jewish community leaders.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
