Rabbi Soetendorp took part in a ceremony celebrating the unveiling of an Anne Frank statute in Oranjestad, the island's capital. Upon his arrival on the Caribbean island on June 9, Rabbi Soetendorp was welcomed by the Prime Minister Mike Eman and had several meetings with governmental representatives including Dr. Dowers, Minister of Justice and Education, to whom he introduced the Day of Respect that he initiated in the Netherlands in 2006.

Other speakers at the unveiling of the statute included Martin Luther King III, eldest son of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., former director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam Dr. Hans Westra, and Aruba's Prime Minister Mike Eman.

Click here for reading more about the event.

The Day of Respect is a project co-developed by Rabbi Soetendorp to give young people an awareness of the meaning of respect. In 2006, the first Day of Respect was organised, which focused particularly on 11 and 12 years-old, in grades 7 and 8. As part of the Day of Respect program, from the beginning of the school year, students were asked to think about the term 'respect' using interactive material. On the actual 'Day of Respect,’  well-known Dutch personalities from all sectors of society, sports, music, politics, arts, and so forth, were invited to give a guest presentation at a school.

The guest participants focus on the idea of respect which is further reinforced throughout the year by the teacher who has also been trained in the Day of Respect curriculum. By repeatedly introducing the idea of respect into regular lessons taught by their teachers, a dialogue between the children and the idea of respect will take place and will extend as well to conversations about respect between the children and their parents. By repeatedly reinforcing the subject of 'respect' throughout the year, the idea will gradually take hold. The foundation also hopes that young people will identify themselves with these pop ‘heroes’ who speak at the participating school, so that it becomes 'cool' to be respectful.

The reactions of the media, guest speakers, teachers, but above all, the children and their parents, were overwhelming. On this basis, the Foundation has continued to organise annual Day of Respect events and has proceeded to expand its program. Now, (guest) talks are held in the morning, and during the afternoon 'Programs of Respect' are organised, in collaboration with other local organisations to engage society more broadly in the idea of respect. The program has grown from an initial 120 speakers volunteering at 120 schools in 2006, to over 2.500 participating schools in 2009. Pilot events have been initiated in a small number of secondary schools.

Watch a video on the Day of Respect:

On 13 November, 2008, the Day of Respect, initiated by Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp and the Day of Respect Foundation, was celebrated for the third time since its launch in 2005. More than 2000 schools in the Netherlands participated at the event that included the invitation of famous personalities of the Dutch public life to come into schools and engage students around the meaning of respect for oneself and others.  

To read a one page summary of the background and history of the the Day of Respect, click here...