Table Of Content
On February 28, 1944, a Dutch informant told the Nazis of the ten Booms’ activities, and the Gestapo soon raided the home. They kept the house under surveillance, and by the end of the day, 35 people—including the entire ten Boom family—were arrested. Although German soldiers thoroughly searched the house, they didn’t find the half-dozen Jews safely concealed in the hiding place. The six stayed in the cramped space for nearly three days before being rescued by the Dutch underground.
How a ‘watchmaker’s daughter’ hid hundreds of Jews beneath the Nazi occupiers’ noses - The Times of Israel
How a ‘watchmaker’s daughter’ hid hundreds of Jews beneath the Nazi occupiers’ noses.
Posted: Sat, 18 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Good Ground for God
Their large social network in church charities and watchmaker circles made the family quite successful in smuggling refugees until it was betrayed on February 28, 1944. In the alleyway, it would place a small triangular sign to indicate that the coast was clear. After the betrayal, the Nazis were able to collect many more prisoners by falsely placing the triangle in the window. During World War II, the Ten Boom family provided a hiding place for Jewish people and members of the resistance in their home on Haarlem’s Barteljorisstraat. The family was betrayed, imprisoned and deported to concentration camps – only Corrie survived the ordeal.
Further reading
A brick wall had been built providing just enough room for ten refugees to stand upright in this small space, for as long as it took to let the danger pass. Nothing was allowed in this small space so as not to attract rodents, and give away the Hiding Place. The area was not insulated from the bitter cold winters, so being trapped in this place was not ideal. The Museum Times is run by journalist and travel blogger Elizabeth Joss (). The website aims to provide increased visibility to smaller, lesser-known museums that usually do not get as much visibility due to lack of funds. Museums mentioned are spread across the world and are true gems worth talking about.
Christians You Should Know: Corrie ten Boom
Casper ten Boom became sick in prison and died in a hospital corridor only ten days after the arrest. The sisters remained in the Scheveningen prison until June 1944, when officials transferred them to an internment camp at Vught, in the Netherlands. In September 1944, the Nazis deported Corrie and Betsie ten Boom to the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany. In Ravensbrück, the sisters managed to stay together until Betsie died that December. The Ten Boom family ran a watch shop (horlogerie) on the corner of an alleyway and the main shopping street of Haarlem, the Netherlands. During the Nazi occupation of Haarlem starting in 1942, they provided safe harbour for Jews and other underground refugees in a hiding place they built upstairs.
Highlights of the Corrie ten Boom Museum
Soon, visitors to the watch store came with worries about a looming invasion by Nazi Germany. God bless all those who gave their lives and put themselves at risk to save the Jewish people in Europe. May those who did not survive rest in peace, and be remembered for their courage and fortitude. I hope that the world and those who fight for good, may remember the past and stand in the face of ridicule and danger, to help these things not be repeated. "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still," and "God will give us the love to be able to forgive our enemies". We all have our own internal demons, people who may have harmed us that it is difficult to forgive.
Digital Tour
If you know me personally, then you probably know how much I read. (I average at least 1 book per week.) I like to read the Bible in the morning over breakfast. I’ll read a missionary biography in the afternoon or over lunch.
A Day Trip To Haarlem: Visiting The Corrie ten Boom House
Their home was actually two different buildings with varying ceiling heights, oddly joined together with a quirky spiral staircase—the perfect home for secret compartments. The family were arrested and taken away to be interrogated and the Gestapo, unable to find any secret hideaways, remained in the home waiting for two days. More and more people started coming to the ten Boom’s home seeking help from the family. Eventually a false wall in Corrie’s bedroom on the top floor was put in, with the help of the Dutch underground movement. In the next 30 years, Corrie ten Boom spent her life spreading that message. She traveled to over 60 countries to speak about the power of forgiveness.
They were forced to stand for two days, in the middle of the harsh winter in that small space without food, water, or bathroom -- remaining deadly quiet to save their own lives. Ten Boom returned to the Netherlands after the war and set up a rehabilitation center for concentration camp survivors. In the Christian spirit to which she was so devoted, she also took in those who had cooperated with the Germans during the occupation. In 1946, she began a worldwide ministry that took her to more than 60 countries.
Travel Interests
Although Betsie and Corrie were able to find solace in their faith during their time in the camps, Betsie became ill at Ravensbrück. After a search of the house and an interrogation of the family, Corrie, Bestie, and Casper were arrested — the Gestapo never found the Jews hiding in the secret room. After her mother’s death and a failed romance, ten Boom decided that she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. “I was finding a joy in work I’d never dreamed of,” ten Boom wrote. She had long helped her father with the administration of his shop, but now decided she wanted to learn the mechanics of watch repair itself. My name is Janiel, I specialize in solo female travel, cultural connections, sustainable adventures, food and history to help make your travel experiences fun, meaningful, and delicious.
The home was later passed down to Willem's son Casper, and then to Casper's daughter, Corrie.The Ten Boom family were devoted Christians who dedicated their lives in service to God and their fellow man. Through the years the Ten Booms were active in social work in Haarlem. Their faith inspired them to serve the religious community and society at large. In the 1920s and '30s, the Ten Boom family took in many foster children, whose parents were doing missionary work. The Corrie ten Boom House can only be visited with one of the free guided tours. During the tours, visitors are told about Corrie and her family and receive extensive information about the lives of the Ten Boom family before and during the Second World War.
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem is the founder and main writer at The Museum Times. She works as a university lecturer by day and is an avid travel blogger and arts and culture enthusiast by night. Elizabeth started The Museum Times out of the need to give smaller, lesser-known museums more exposure. Nan Gurley stars as Corrie ten Boom, alongside Carrie Tillis and John Schuck. The new movie premieres in the United States on August 3 and 5, prior to its international release on August 16. The last room of the tour—with a few stairs and funky angled ceilings— held more photographs, including screenshots from the film, and information about what Corrie did after the war was over.
Once the bell rung, they would rush into a room at the back that had a false back on the bottom half of the bookshelf. The Hiding Place was a place of refuge and safety during WWII. Corrie Ten Boom & her family led the Dutch Underground in Haarlem and saved 800 Jewish lives. After a short history lesson from our guide on who the family was, how prayer meetings were held and eventually morphed into a full-scale rescue operation. Now for those of you who may not believe in God, I hope you can appreciate that their belief in a higher deity is what helped bring them through one of the darkest times in European history. When you enter the Museum, there doesn't appear to be many places to hide ten adults from the Gestapo.
Sadly, while imprisoned, Corrie’s sister Betsie died along with their other family members. Corrie survived and when the war was over she travelled the world to tell her tale and spread the word of God. She wrote a book called The Hiding Place which became a bestseller in the 70s. In 1837, Willem ten Boom opened a watch shop in this house.
My experience in travel, and my personal story have allowed me to get published in Fodor's Travel, Atlas Obscura, Metro.co.uk, Trip Advisor, and multiple Podcast interviews. You can find me on pretty much every social media channel YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok. If you are a brand and would like to work with me, click here. Make a Donation to the Corrie Ten Boom - The Hiding Place Museum, and help them continue to operate this house and spread the message of forgiveness and love to all who enter. We were taken upstairs and told of how there was a bell in the kitchen downstairs that would be pressed, and only the people there for hiding could hear it.
No comments:
Post a Comment