Petronella Catharina Johanna Emilia van Nes

Geslacht: Vrouw
Vader: Pieter van Nes
Moeder: Alida Margaretha Snoek
Geboren: 9 MRT 1895 Middelharnis
Religie: Ned. Hervormd
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Grijn van der
First Name: Petronella Catharina Emilia
Maiden Name: Nes van
Alias: NEL
Date of Birth: 09/03/1895
Date of death: 09/03/1989
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Female
Place during the war: Doetinchem, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Doetinchem, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/596)
Immediately after the birth of their second child in January 1943, Levi Gans and his wife Debora Gans-Goubitz, from Amsterdam, decided to try and go into hiding instead of risking deportation when their turn came. They focused first on finding addresses for the baby and their other child, Bob, born in 1937.
Through cousins of Debora, they were put in touch with Cornelis and Petronella (Nel) van der Grijn, who were willing to take in seven-year-old Bob. They were both in their forties and had no children. They lived in the town of Doetinchem (prov. Gelderland) where Cornelis was a teacher of handicrafts. Bob stayed with them throughout the war until the liberation of the area in May 1945.
Next, connections were made with Cornelis Bontekoe, a butcher living in Boskoop (prov. South-Holland) and an acquaintance of relatives of the Gans family. Once Cornelis heard that the Ganses needed hiding places, he traveled to Amsterdam to pick up Debora and her ten-day-old daughter Anita and took them to Adrianus and Wilhelmina van der Pouw who were farmers in Boskoop. Debora was said to be an evacuee from The Hague, but people in the neighborhood did not believe this story and started to talk. Baby Anita was then taken to Annie and Karel Beesemer, back in Amsterdam, where she stayed until the liberation. Staying with the Beesemers was dangerous, as Karel was Jewish. Since he was married to a non-Jew, Karel was exempted from deportation, but stayed indoors in order to avoid possible arrest after all.
Debora was taken to Leonardus van Hevelingen, also in Boskoop, a widower, where her husband, Levi Gans, joined her. Both stayed with van Hevelingen until the liberation. Van Hevelingen’s children were grown and lived elsewhere. During this period, Cornelis Bontekoe kept going back and forth, bringing tailoring work for Levi to do in Leonardus van Hevelingen’s attic.
At one point, after the parents of Debora, Hartog Goubitz and Anna Goubitz-Dressou, as well as her sister, Margaretha Goubitz, were let go after having been arrested, Cornelis Bontekoe went to pick them up as well, and also took them to Leonardus’ home. As the situation became too precarious there, with so many Jews in hiding, Hartog and Anna were taken elsewhere in the same town.
On March 15, 2009, Yad Vashem recognized Cornelis Anthonius Bontekoe, Cornelis van der Grijn and Petronella Catharina Emilia van der Grijn-van Nes, Adrianus Frederikus van der Pouw and Wilhelmina Cornelia van der Pouw-van Dijk, Annie Beesemer and Leonardus van Hevelingen as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Cornelis van der Grijn geb. 26 Sept 1908 overl. 20 Sept 1976
Huwelijk: XXXX onbekend