Hendrika Witsen

Geslacht:	Vrouw
Vader:	Gerrit Witsen
Moeder:	Trijntje Bos
Geboren:	16 MEI 1898	Alkmaar
Overleden:	28 OKT 1968
Aantekeningen:	Tiel van Hendrika (1898 - 1968 ) Personal Information Last Name: Tiel van First Name: Hendrika Maiden Name: Witsen Date of Birth: 16/05/1898 Date of death: 28/10/1968 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Alkmaar, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Alkmaar, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/5863) Commemoration Date of Recognition: 19/12/1993 Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands Rescued Persons Cohen, Spiegel, Lieselotte, Lilo Rescue Story Tiel van, Arie & Hendrika (Witsen) In March 1943, a member of the Westerweel* group, approached Arie and Hendrika van Tiel of Alkmaar, North Holland, and asked them to temporarily shelter a number of young Jews. The van Tiels, a couple with two children, aged eight and 13, immediately agreed to help even though they were fully aware of the risks involved. Arie and Hendrika, as well as Arie’s parents, Gerrit and Klaartje van Tiel*, and brothers Piet, Gerrit, and Jo, who also sheltered Jews during the war, were pious Christians who fiercely opposed the Nazi regime. The whole family believed that it was their duty to help people wherever and however possible. Later that month, courier Ans Geerling-Roos* escorted 23-year-old Liselotte (Lilo) Cohen-Spiegel, who was equipped with false papers, to Arie and Hendrika’s home. Arie was a carpenter but had quit in order to avoid having to labor for the Germans, and consequently the van Tiel family was living on a very limited budget. Only three days after Lilo’s arrival, the van Tiels received an order to vacate their home within ten days because the Wehrmacht had requisitioned it. Arie and Hendrika calmed Lilo down by promising her that they would relocate to a place where she would be safe, and so they moved with the Jewish fugitive to two cabins on a construction site in Alkmaar. The living conditions there were very primitive but Arie constructed a special hiding place for Lilo. A clerk at the local municipal offices arranged new false identity papers for Lilo, providing her with the name Marie Sijtman-Goteman, a refugee from Rotterdam whose husband was working in Germany. Initially, Lilo contributed 12 guilders a week towards her expenses from the salary that she was continuing to draw. However, when this source of income ceased, the van Tiels had no problem allowing her to continue living with them without any payment. In February 1944, Lilo was offered a chance to flee to France with the assistance of the Westerweel group. In November of that year, Lilo continued her journey to Palestine. After the war, Lilo renewed her contact with the van Tiels. They later visited her in Israel. On December 19, 1993, Yad Vashem recognized Arie van Tiel and his wife, Hendrika van Tiel-Witsen, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Arie van Tiel	geb. 29 MEI 1904 overl. 7 Feb 1964
Huwelijk:	29 MEI 1929	Alkmaar