TIMES OF ISRAEL
by Cnaan Liphshiz
October 9, 2014

At 71, the retired twins have reconnected to Jewish traditions, and are now attending synagogue on holidays

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Like many Jewish grandmothers, Martine and Louise Fokkens enjoy talking about their grandchildren in language laced with Yiddish. At 71, the twins from Amsterdam also paint, think often about the Holocaust and attend synagogue on Jewish holidays.

But the Fokkens are not like most Jewish grandmothers.

For one thing, they recently retired after 50 years of working as prostitutes in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. For another, they are local celebrities thanks to several autobiographical books and a 2012 documentary carrying the English-language title “Meet the Fokkens.” In the Netherlands, they are widely known by the Dutch title, which translates to “old whores.” “The business taught us to get along with everybody, and I do mean everybody,” said Louise Fokkens, who retired in 2010 because of arthritis……

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