Hector Marius van Fenema

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Cornelis Arnold van Fenema
Moeder: Aletta Josina Cornelia Quintus
Geboren: 4 MEI 1901 Den Haag
Overleden: 23 Juli 1983 Bilthoven
Beroep: burgemeester Woerden, Woubrugge, Zandvoort
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Fenema van
First Name: Hector Marius
Date of Birth: 04/05/1901
Date of death: 23/07/1983
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male
Profession: ARMY OFFICER
Place during the war: Wassenaar, Zuidholland, The Netherlands ; Bosch en Duin, Utrecht, The Netherlands ; Zandvoort, Noordholland, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Wassenaar, Zuidholland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Providing false evidence Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/562)
In 1938 Cornelis van Nes took a train to Vienna to see if he could be of assistance to his Jewish friends there, Hans and Erna Fuerberg, siblings. Once in Vienna, Cornelis learned that Hans had already been sent to Dachau. Back in the Netherlands, Cornelis consulted his friend, Hector van Fenema, an officer in the Dutch army and, at the time, a bachelor, and together they formulated a plan. Hector, who had never met the Fuerbergs, traveled to Vienna and entered into a fictitious marriage with Erna. He then went to Berlin where, in his capacity as a high-ranking officer in the Dutch army, he demanded that his brother-in-law be released from the concentration camp. Hector then requested that Hans be allowed to move to England with his sister, from where they would apply for a visa to the United States. After six months of arduous planning and journeying back and forth to Vienna and Berlin, the scheme finally succeeded. In September 1938, Hans was set free and the couple received permission, or rather an order, to abandon all their belongings and to leave Austria within six weeks. Once they had left, Hector traveled to London to see if he could offer his wards any further assistance. In London, Hector met his brother-in-law for the first time. Hector then brought his fictitious bride back with him to Holland, where he divorced her. After the capitulation of the Netherlands, Hector was ordered to go to Poland, but he refused. Thus, Hector placed himself in a dangerous position. Before long, he and his wife, Maria, were chased out of their home in Wassenaar, South Holland, and found temporary refuge in the village of Bosch en Duin, Utrecht. In 1943, Hector and Maria, who had three children, invited two Jewish women, 22-year-old Betsy Bouwman and 34-year-old Rika Zilverberg, into their home to hide. Mr. van Fenema was in direct contact with the British army, concealing weapons and incriminating papers in his house. He also helped many people escape. One night during the winter of 1944, the Germans appropriated a number of rooms in the house, and German soldiers began to go in and out all day. Fortunately, there was a hiding place and the two women remained hidden in the house until the end of the war. After the war, Hector became mayor of Zandvoort, North Holland.
On August 12, 1975, Yad Vashem recognized Dr. Hector Marius van Fenema and his wife, Maria Clara van Fenema-Brantsma, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Maria Clara Brantsma geb. 19 Juli 1917
Huwelijk: 28 OKT 1940 Overveen

Gezin 2

Huwelijkspartner: Adriƫnne Jeanne Cazius geb. 1904
Huwelijk: 18 Juli 1927 Groningen
Scheiding: 7 Feb 1933 Den Haag