Wilhelmus Arts
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Henricus Aloijsius Arts | |
| Moeder: | Josina Tiellemans | |
| Geboren: | 13 Sept 1904 | Megen |
| Overleden: | 8 Aug 1979 | |
| Beroep: | timmerman | |
| Aantekeningen: | Personal Information Last Name: Arts First Name: Wilhelmus Alias: WIM Date of Birth: 13/09/1904 Date of death: 08/08/1979 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC Gender: Male Profession: CARPENTER Rescue Place during the war: Haren, Noordbrabant, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Haren, Noordbrabant, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/7153) Commemoration Date of Recognition: 23/06/1996 Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands Rescued Persons Levitus Rescue Story Arts, Wilhelmus & Elizabeth Maria Johanna (Nillesen) As an essential worker Cäcilie Levitus, who was employed in the crèche for Jewish children in Amsterdam, escaped deportation in September 1943. She went into hiding under the name Lamberta Kroon, equipped with false papers. Cäcilies former teachers, Maria Hoefsmit* and Cornelia Ouweleen*, put her in touch with Wilhelmus (Wim) and Elizabeth Arts in Haren, North Brabant, and Cornelia took her there by train. Wim met them at the station and took Cäcilie home in his cart. He was a carpenter and wagon builder living with his wife, Elizabeth, and their four children in this predominantly Roman Catholic village near Oss. Cäcilie was introduced as the niece of a Dutch soldier the family knew from the city of Rotterdam, which had been heavily bombed. She was called Lamberta and everyone was told she was Protestant and thus she avoided having to go to church with the family on Sundays. She had her own room and was treated well, and in turn, she helped out around the house. When a house search was anticipated, she hid in the house or in the cornfields, sometimes for hours. Apart from ration cards, Wim and Elizabeth received no money for hiding Cäcilie. They knew that hiding Jews was a crime but they took the risk out of compassion for the persecuted. One day in October 1943, Elizabeth heard that some people in the village, including a NSB collaborator, suspected that Cäcilie was Jewish. That evening, Wim took Cäcilie to Frans Wijnakker*, his underground contact, who lived in a neighboring village. Frans and Mien (Itermina) Wijnakker had four children and were already hiding several Jews, but they welcomed Cäcilie until a safe place could be found for her. She stayed for three months and then moved in with the van der Aar* family in nearby Ravenstein, where she stayed until the liberation. After the war, Cäcilie remained in close contact with Elizabeth Arts and her children. On June 23, 1996, Yad Vashem recognized Wilhelmus Arts and his wife, Elizabeth Arts, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Elisabeth Maria Johanna Nillesen | geb. 25 Apr 1900 overl. 25 Juli 1979 |
| Huwelijk: | XXXX | onbekend |