Gerrittiene Nantkorviene van Halsema
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Johan van Halsema | |
| Moeder: | Hinderriktje Takens | |
| Geboren: | 7 Apr 1899 | Woldendorp, gem. Termunten |
| Overleden: | 27 Sept 1991 | |
| Religie: | Ger. Kerk | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Halsema van First Name: Gerritine Nancoine Date of Birth: 07/04/1899 Date of death: 27/09/1991 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Profession: NURSE Organization/ Religious order: Trouw Groep Place during the war: Ijlst, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Ijlst, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/623) In 1943, Gerritine van Halsema, a nurse from IJlst, Friesland, welcomed two-and-a-half-year-old Alexander Lootsteen of Amsterdam into her home. Gerritine was unmarried and lived alone. Alexander had been hiding with Helena Boissevain-van Lennep*, a member of the Amsterdam-based CS-6 group, but when the situation there became precarious the Trouw* group transferred him to Gerritines home in IJlst. Alexander remained with her until September 1945, four months after the end of the war. Although he was not the only person she shielded from persecution, he was the only one whom she mothered. The relationship between Alexander and Gerritine was very warm and he always referred to her as mother. (His mother survived the war and raised him afterwards.) Gerritine was over 40 years old when the war broke out but this did not deter her from risking her life for persecuted Jews. Among the other people she helped were Mrs. Markus from Amsterdam, whose previous hideout with the family of Tjibbe de Jong*, a policeman, became unsafe towards the end of the war, and Mrs. G. van der Meulen-Davids, who was saved by being given six weeks shelter in Gerritines home. Over and above hiding Jews and non-Jews, Gerritine was also involved in various underground activities. However, her modesty and extreme reticence never allowed her to talk about these matters. Gerritine acted out of deep religious conviction and considered virtue its own reward. After the war, the Queen of the Netherlands presented Gerritine with an honorary souvenir for her courageous behavior. On November 3, 1970, Yad Vashem recognized Gerritine Nançoine van Halsema as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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