Memorial to professor and resistance hero Ben Telders unveiled at Bergen-Belsen
A memorial stone honouring professor and resistance hero Ben Telders was unveiled on 12 September at the site of the former concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Telders stood up to the Nazi regime and died shortly before the end of the Second World War.
‘In a time when international law is being violated in many parts of the world, we can take inspiration from those who refused to look away in the face of injustice’, said Emeritus Professor Jos van den Broek in a speech, one of the initiators of the memorial during the ceremony on the site of the former concentration camp in the German state of Lower Saxony.
Opposing injustice
Benjamin Marius Telders, Professor of International Law, was a leading voice against the ‘Declaration of Aryan Descent’ in October 1940, which required professors to state whether they were Jewish. ‘Here and no further’, Telders wrote to the president of the Supreme Court.
Despite his efforts, all Jewish staff were dismissed one month later. The professors from the law faculty discussed how to respond and decided that a protest speech should be given at the time when Professor Eduard Meijers – one of those dismissed – would have lectured. Telders offered to speak, noting that he had no wife or children. But Professor Rudolph Cleveringa insisting that as dean it was his responsibility. He gave his now-famous protest speech on 26 November, with Telders providing the legal arguments based on international law. As Cleveringa’s biographer Kees Schuyt noted, Cleveringa’s speech would not have had the same impact without Telders’ support.
Freedom should not be taken for granted
Before unveiling the memorial stone, Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl urged those present to reflect not only on the past but also on the future. ‘Telders’ sacrifice reminds us that we must remain vigilant. Freedom should never be taken for granted; we have to fight for and protect it, and pass it on to future generations. As academics, we have a responsibility to inspire young students and show them that courage, integrity and perseverance are essential in a world full of threats. Only then can we truly honour those who paid the highest price for our freedom.’
Telders continues to inspire not only students but also educators. Two history teachers from Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden also attended the ceremony and plan to highlight Telders’ resistance in their lessons. ‘We need role models more than ever, and Telders is a powerful example’, said teacher Franca Verheijen. ‘He used centuries-old legal principles to challenge the Nazis. Our pupils are eager to explore those ideas.’ The school will also organise a walking tour of Leiden, visiting locations connected to Telders and the Second World War.’
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The memorial to Ben Telders. -
The initiators, with fourth from left Jos van den Broek, laid a wreath. -
The memorial to Ben Telders was placed near the monument to Margot and Anne Frank.
Memorial stone
To honour Ben Telders’ bravery, Jos van den Broek and Volkenrechtelijk Dispuut Prof. Mr. B.M. Telders launched a fundraising campaign for the memorial. ‘No one is more deserving of this tribute than our courageous former colleague’, they wrote on the campaign website. ‘He stood up against injustice towards the Jewish community. He was a miles praesidii libertatis: a soldier defending the bastion of freedom.’
Telders is also commemorated at Leiden University, where a stained-glass window in the Great Auditorium bears his name, and the Small Auditorium is dedicated to him. And now his legacy is marked at the Bergen-Belsen Memorial.