Willem van der Griendt
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Bartholomeus van der Griendt | |
| Moeder: | Anna Maria Veldhoven | |
| Geboren: | 29 MEI 1913 | Rotterdam |
| Overleden: | 13 Apr 1992 | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Griendt van der First Name: Willem Date of Birth: 29/05/1913 Date of death: 13/04/1992 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Place during the war: Rotterdam, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Rotterdam, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1105) In May 1944, underground couriers asked Willem and Maria van der Griendt if they would be willing to shelter a Jewish family. Willem and Maria responded positively and Arthur and Rosette Cohen (née Jacobson) and their young son were immediately taken to the van der Griendts home in Rotterdam. The speed of the Cohens move was of paramount importance: Rosette was due to have a baby and the family had no safe shelter. Only four days after their arrival at the van der Griendts, on May 14, Rosette gave birth to a boy. On June 14, Willem and Maria officially registered the baby as their own, naming him Willem van der Griendt. Only two weeks after giving birth, Rosette and Arthur moved to a new address, leaving their children behind. It would simply have been too dangerous for the entire family to remain with the van der Griendts. The older child died only a short time afterward, but baby Willem stayed with the van der Griendts until the liberation in May 1945. Even during the hunger winter, Willem was well cared for and the van der Griendts treated him like a son. After the war, Willem and Maria returned him to his parents. They found it difficult to part from the child, whom they had begun to consider their own, but the pain was alleviated by maintaining regular contact with him. In 1946, a court decision had Willem van der Griendt officially renamed Willem Cohen, honoring the van der Griendts by keeping the name Willem. On November 3, 1976, Yad Vashem recognized Willem van der Griendt and his wife, Maria Cornelia Magdalena van der Griendt-van den Berg, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Maria Cornelia Magdalena van den Berg | geb. 25 Feb 1917 overl. 6 OKT 2003 |
| Huwelijk: | 12 Aug 1941 | Vreeswijk |