Cornelis Brouwer

Geslacht:	Man
Vader:	Kornelis Brouwer
Moeder:	Maria Dijkshoorn
Geboren:	25 Juni 1911	Vlaardingen
Overleden:	4 Jan 1992	Utrecht
Beroep:		predikant
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Brouwer First Name: Cornelis Title: DR. Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: PROTESTANT Gender: Male Profession: PASTOR Place during the war: Wilnis, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Wilnis, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding In the summer of 1943, Esther Duis (later Spruit) applied for a job as a live-in servant at the home of the Reverend Dr. Cornelis Brouwer in the small town of Wilnis, Utrecht. Esther, who was 17 years old at the time, was alone and on the run. She had escaped the massive razzia of June 20 in Amsterdam and her parents, her sister, and the rest of her family had already been deported. Esther did not have any money and was under the impression that Jews needed money if they wished to find a safe hideout. Consequently, she believed that being a servant was her only hope of finding shelter. In August 1943, with a false identity card and a fabricated story, Esther was accepted into the Brouwer household. After a few weeks, when the situation in Wilnis became dangerous for Jews, Esther revealed her true identity to Cornelis and offered to leave his house in order not to endanger his family. However, Cornelis insisted that she stay, on the condition that she would not reveal her real identity to his wife. In the following months, there were some very tense moments when Cornelis received letters threatening to denounce him to the Gestapo if he did not turn in his Jewish house servant. Cornelis did not yield to these pressures and Esther remained in his home and was supported by him throughout. In July 1944, the Brouwer family moved to the city of Utrecht, where Cornelis was assigned a parish. As there were many Nazis in Utrecht at the time, he decided that it would be too dangerous for Esther to move with him. Fortunately, he was able to find another couple in Wilnis, Christiaan and Marie Lakerveld*, who were willing to take her into their home. On October 26, 1982, Yad Vashem recognized Cornelis Brouwer as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Cornelia Adriana Doornebal	geb. 31 OKT 1916 overl. 11 Sept 2001
Huwelijk:	11 Aug 1938	Woerden