Dutch descendant of Righteous Among the Nations fights for Israeli residency

Ellen Monique Chits, a 56-year-old Dutch Christian whose grandfather and great-grandparents were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, is fighting for Israeli residency after the Interior Ministry rejected her application due to an age restriction. Her attorney argues the rejection conflicts with a January 2026 court ruling extending eligibility to grandchildren regardless of age.

Ellen Monique Chits, a 56-year-old Dutch Christian, is fighting for Israeli residency after the Interior Ministry rejected her application. Her grandfather and great-grandparents were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for hiding Jewish brothers during the Holocaust. Chits first learned of her family's rescue efforts in 1998 but only connected deeply after visiting Israel in 2018. She has since visited about 10 times, and on October 7, 2023, she was in Jerusalem and felt compelled to stay and help. She later resigned from her healthcare management job to volunteer in Israel, assisting with agriculture, food preparation, and supporting families affected by terrorism. Her application for legal status was rejected in November 2024 because she was not a minor, despite a government website suggesting grandchildren were eligible. Her attorney argues that a January 2026 District Court ruling extended eligibility to grandchildren regardless of age, and that the age restriction drains the procedure of meaning since most Righteous Among the Nations are now very old. Chits currently lives in Haifa and studies Hebrew at the University of Haifa.