Arnold Douwes, the son of the local pastor, had never had very much to do with Jews or Judaism, but when antisemitic measures were introduced, he threw himself body and soul into the effort to help Jews on the run by convincing the local inhabitants to give shelter to fugitive families. In addition, the villagers provided the fugitives with food, new identification papers, and financial support. Two teens, hidden under the floorboards of a Nieuwlande church building, published a handwritten newspaper for the Jews in hiding. Two copies remain.