Johannes Lambertus van den Berg
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Hendrikus van den Berg | |
| Moeder: | Theodora Berntsen | |
| Geboren: | 19 Juni 1895 | Ambt Doetinchem, Doetinchem |
| Overleden: | 23 Apr 1953 | |
| Beroep: | smid | |
| Aantekeningen: | Berg van den Johannes ( ? - 1953 ) Personal Information Last Name: Berg van den First Name: Johannes Lambertus Date of death: 23/04/1953 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Profession: WELDER Place during the war: Velp, Gelderland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Velp, Gelderland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/8115) Commemoration Date of Recognition: 07/06/1998 Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands Rescued Persons Schmerling, Nina Santkroos, David Kerkoet, Mirjam Meisner, Herman Kerkoet, Silpa Rescue Story Berg van den, Johannes Lambertus & Anna (Kamphorst) In 1942 the parents of 12-year-old Edith Obstfeld of The Hague decided to look for a hiding place rather than report for work in the East. They turned to a relative who lived in Velp, Gelderland, who contacted an acquaintance, Johannes van den Berg. Johannes, with the support of his entire family, immediately offered to help. However, since he and his wife Anna were living in a small apartment with their five grown-up sons, they could only shelter two people. Thus, in October 1942, Edith and her mother moved into the attic of the van den Bergs home, into one of the two rooms that were shared by the boys. Johannes, a welder, and Anna lived on a modest income. Nevertheless, as time passed and the situation of Dutch Jewry deteriorated alarmingly, the couple felt that their unconditional assistance to as many people as possible was warranted. They were soon harboring every fugitive that knocked on their door and during the course of the war, in addition to Edith and her mother, the Van den Bergs hid 12 other people: Nina and Ferdinand Schmerling, Jack and Stella Beder, Leni Lobel and Gitta Grinberg, David and Rosa Santkroos, Paula and Herman Meisner, Mirjam Kerkoet and her mother, Silpa. The fugitives shared the two attic rooms and the Van den Berg sons found other places to sleep. Special hideouts were also constructed for use in times of emergency. Initially, the van den Bergs were able to purchase food on the black market with money they received from their charges. When that money ran out, Johannes and Anna contacted the underground, which tried to supply them with as many ration coupons as possible. The family pastor also occasionally brought them potatoes and grain. No one else knew that Johannes and Anna were hiding people and so they had to shop carefully, avoiding arousing suspicions among their neighbors in the town of Velp. The van den Bergs home had a large garden in which the family grew fruit and vegetables, some of which they sold in order to augment their income. Since people came to the house to buy the produce, the hidden Jews had to remain out of sight throughout the day. At night, the fugitives were able to sit in the living room with their hosts. While downstairs, they often helped with the cooking and the preservation of the vegetables for use during the following winter. In 1943, three of the van den Berg sons reported for forced labor in Germany in order to ensure that the Germans would have no cause to search their home. On September 18, 1944, when the fighting in Arnhem was raging, relatives of the van den Bergs were evacuated from the frontline. They went to Johannes and Anna to have their meals because there were no cooking facilities at the place to which they had been evacuated. When they were in the Van den Bergs home, they were told that the other guests were also evacuees. All those who spent the war hiding with Johannes and Anna survived, and greatly surprised the neighbors when they emerged from the house following the liberation. When, shortly afterwards, Jewish officials from Eindhoven came to Velp to register surviving Jews, there were still 13 living with the van den Berg family. Edith Obstfeld stayed in touch with the van den Bergs, even after immigrating to Israel. In 1997, she initiated a ceremony in honor of the van den Berg family in Velp. On June 7, 1998, Yad Vashem recognized Johannes Lambertus van den Berg and his wife, Anna van den Berg-Kamphorst, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Johanna Louisa Kamphorst | geb. 20 Apr 1889 |
| Huwelijk: | 13 Juni 1919 | Ambt Doetinchem, Doetinchem |