Arnold Berkers
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Willem Berkers | |
| Moeder: | Johanna Joosten | |
| Geboren: | 9 Sept 1897 | Helden |
| Overleden: | 1 Juli 1957 | Tegelen |
| Beroep: | landbouwer | |
| Aantekeningen: | Berkers Arnold (1897 - 1957 ) Personal Information Last Name: Berkers First Name: Arnold Date of Birth: 1897 Date of death: 01/07/1957 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC Gender: Male Profession: FARMER Place during the war: Helden, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Helden, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/12214) Commemoration Date of Recognition: 20/09/2011 Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands Rescued Persons Leefmans, Bep, Maria, Elisabeth, Johanna Rescue Story Berkers, Arnold Berkers-Bos, Cornelia Willemina In 1943, Maria Elisabeth Johanna (Bep) Leefmans, born in 1932, was taken to the Berkers family by Dr. Verberne*, a physician in the village of Helden (prov. South Limburg), who was active in the resistance group of Tini van der Bilt*. Dr. Verberne knew them personally, as they were living in the same village, and he had hoped that they would be willing to take the risk. After consultation with their priest, the Berkers opened their home for Bep in 1943. Arnold and Cornelia Berkers, both in their forties, were farmers and lived a modest rural life with their seven children. Bep, by then 11 years old, soon felt at home with the large Berkers family, even though she had come from an intellectual family from Alkmaar and later Amsterdam. She was presented as a child from the city who was undernourished and needed healthy food and fresh air. She soon learned the local dialect, and was able to join the other children at the local school. Each Sunday, she accompanied the family to church. Just like the other children of the family, she helped out with the daily chores of the house and the farm. Once, a German soldier came to the house, and upon seeing Bep, asked Cornelia, Is this a Jewish child? Cornelia casually answered, No, she was undernourished and come here from the city. She was apparently very convincing, since the story was believed. Bep stayed with the Berkers family until the liberation of the village in the fall of 1944. It then turned out that her parents, Salomon Leefmans and Betje Belinfante, as well as her older brother Aron, had all been murdered in Sobibor and Auschwitz, respectively. Even though the Berkers were willing to keep Bep with them, she was initially turned over to a Jewish orphanage and later to a sister of her mother. She kept in touch with the Berkers until their deaths. On September 20, 2012 Yad Vashem recognized Arnold Berkers and Cornelia Willemina Berkers-Bos as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Cornelia Willemina Bos | geb. 2 Juli 1898 overl. 16 Nov 1956 |
| Huwelijk: | 27 Apr 1925 | Helden |