By Herman Quarles van Ufford
Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York

“Stand apart, so we can stand together”, I read on the display in the elevator that took me up to the 18th floor of 666, 3rd Ave in New York City.

So Amsterdam is back at having its annual Chanukah (also Hanukah, or Hanukkah, or Chanoeka) festival in its amazing Schouwburg. This Monday, December 14th, the fifth candle will be lighted on the magnificent stage of the Schouwburg, also known as the Dutch Royal Concert Hall. Although not really a well-advertised or even well-known event, for Dutch Jews this is a major happening.

“Een bijzonder mens met een goed hart.” - Willem Houck, President of the Board.

In his bestselling thriller The Pilgrim Conspiracy Jeroen Windmeijer tells the story of the English Pilgrims who fled England in 1609. They lived in Leiden, the Netherlands, for around 11-12 years before sailing off to America on the ship The Mayflower.

Geleidelijk en dan plotseling: dat is de dynamiek van het ‘kantelpunt’. In een mensenleven spelen allerlei factoren en processen een rol die een respons kunnen veroorzaken die snel en onzeker lijkt.

A land of giants, the Netherlands is the loftiest nation on Earth: the average height of a Dutch man is 182.5cm; a Dutch woman 168.7cm. By comparison their American counterparts measure 177.1cm and 163.5cm respectively.

A new generation knows what ‘NL' is - and they’re always on the lookout at what ’NL' produces. Since the Club’s name has been ’Netherland Club’ for over 100 years, I thought we should be part of what these initials evoke. After all the club’s mission is to be a bridge between NL and NY bringing you art, culture and events.

Today my son, senior BFA Acting in New York, decided that he will live with us in the suburbs of New York for the next six months. He is going to give up his apartment in Brooklyn where he hasn't been since March. Because what is the point of returning to the city when the 'buzz' is no longer there,

The Netherlands may have figured out something about working from home (pandemic or no) that the rest of the world has yet to learn. If you’ve been balancing your laptop on a precarious stack of cookbooks, or lamented VPN speed from your kitchen table, you’re not alone.

Nog niet zo lang gelden zag het leven in New York er heel anders uit dan nu. De pandemie heeft voor veel verandering gezorgd, positief en negatief. Een van de mooie ontwikkelingen die voor Covid-tijd de stad kenmerkte, was de opkomst van Vegan restaurantjes.

The Netherland Club of New York is adapting to this reality. Founded in 1903, it survived two world wars, a great depression and more recently a great recession as well as terrorist attacks, by being nimble and responding to the expectations of its members. We are very proud to announce a new website, logo and activities despite everything that’s going on around us.

Lang zal ze leven. Hiep, hiep hoera. 65 years young, and growing stronger than ever. Nijntje, or Miffy as she’s called outside The Netherlands, has so far taught three generations imagination from as early on as 4 years. The loving character and friends have assisted parents and teachers in teaching children all over the world in recognizing shapes, colors, numbers and the early stages of reading.

A manifesto and love letter to the city in the 1970s, the book “Delirious New York” helped propel the reputation of a young, restless Dutch journalist-and-screenwriter-turned-architect.

The Netherlands embraces a culture of bluntness that could be described to an American as “You, but after three drinks with your least-favorite co-worker” -- that sort of plainspoken bordering on harsh criticism that, in the moment, feels like a favor to the person on the receiving end.