Maria de Groot
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Jacob de Groot | |
| Moeder: | Roedolphina Bertha Roosen | |
| Geboren: | 16 Sept 1921 | Ermelo |
| Religie: | Ned. Hervormd | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Beek van First Name: Maria Maiden Name: Groot de Date of Birth: 16/09/1921 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Ermelo, Gelderland, The Netherlands; Amsterdam, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Amsterdam, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/7955) In 1942, Jacob de Groot, a railroad worker, was sent from Ermelo, Gelderland, to work in Amsterdam. There he heard that seven-month-old Hansje Zilverberg urgently needed a hiding place. Jacob and his wife Bertha offered to take in the child. They traveled to Amsterdam, picked up the baby in his carriage in a dark tunnel under the Muiderpoort railroad station, and returned with him to Ermelo without making any financial arrangements. Later, underground workers brought the de Groots some of the baby's furniture and clothing. Jacob, Bertha, and their 17-year-old daughter, Maria (Rietje, later van Beek) welcomed Hans into their home and cared for him lovingly. Initially, one of them traveled frequently to Amsterdam with Hansje so that he could visit his parents in hiding. The de Groots kept in regular contact with the underground and were warned whenever danger loomed. The baby was then taken temporarily to a different address. Once the danger passed, Hansje returned to the de Groots. One day, some Germans arrived at the de Groots' home. Rietje was holding Hansje on her lap at the time. She had a bad burn on her leg and looked very sick. Consequently, the Germans, afraid of catching a disease, left the premises immediately. During the war, the four members of the Kuiper family from Amsterdam found temporary refuge with the de Groots before moving to a rented property in Zwolle, Overijssel, which Jacob arranged for them. Ermelo was a small village and everyone knew that Jacob, Bertha, and Rietje were harboring Jews. Hansje's parents were murdered in a death camp and the de Groots raised him as their own child until his marriage in 1965. On January 18, 1998, Yad Vashem recognized Jacob de Groot, his wife, Bertha Roedolphina de Groot-Roossen, and their daughter, Maria van Beek-de Groot, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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