‘Major Bosshardt’ passed away "peacefully" in her home in Amsterdam at the age of 94, the Salvation Army said. Alida Margaretha Bosshardt became a Christian at age 18 during an open air meeting of the Salvation Army and soon became involved in social projects.
During World War Two, when the Salvation Army was banned, she continued her work underground, saving the lives of 70 Jewish children. She was betrayed and arrested, but managed to escape when her interrogators forgot to close the doors, only to continue her underground work.
In 1948 she began the Goodwill-center in the Amsterdam ‘Red Light’ district of prostitutes which she described as "a supermarket of services for those living in the area." The center gave humanitarian aid to prostitutes and Bosshardt celebrated Christmas with them. In 1965 her work made headlines when a photographer discovered she was accompanied by Princes Beatrix who was dressed as a Salvation Army soldier.
SELLING MAGAZINE
Although Bosshardt went on pension in 1978, she remained active in the Salvation Army, selling the magazine ‘De Strijdkreet’ (The Battle Cry) in pubs or other public places till age 90. She also remained close friends with Dutch controversial pop star and artist Herman Brood, till he committed suicide in 2001 by jumping off the Amsterdam Hilton hotel.
Although she was already promoted to ‘lieutenant-colonel’ she refused to accept that title as in her words "this rank is not for a woman who lives alone." In 2004 she received the Yad Vashem-award from Israel for her activities during the war and last year was among the ‘top 100’ of the greatest Dutch men and women.
Funeral arrangements were scheduled for Saturday, June 30. News of her death came as the Salvation Army was also dealing with another crisis, its decision to break off ties with Microsoft. In a statement obtained by Dutch Christian news website manna-vandaag.nl the group said it dumped shares of Microsoft because of its decision to allow ‘self censorship’ in China.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Human rights group Amnesty International (AI) has accused major Internet companies, including Microsoft, of "attempting to expand their markets by colluding with governments’ efforts" to control what people see on-line. AI says Microsoft and others are providing filter hardware and releasing personal data that lead to arrests of journalists and bloggers critical to the government.
Christians are also suffering because of the Internet censorship, rights groups say. The Salvation Army also announced it stops investing in oil company Schlumberger because of its activities in "sensitive countries," the well-informed website manna-vandaag.nl reported.
The Salvation Army reportedly invested 95 million euros ($128 million) in several companies, including the ABN-AMRO bank group, to help it finance operations.
