Allegonda Arnoldina Josten
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Johannes Arnoldus Josten | |
| Moeder: | Maria Catharina Zeegers | |
| Geboren: | 2 Juni 1906 | Bergen, Limburg |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Heldens First Name: Allegonda Arnoldina Maiden Name: Josten Date of Birth: 25/07/1905 Date of death: 05/03/1979 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Profession: FARMER Place during the war: Venraij, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Venraij, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/6147) Rachel Cohen of Amsterdam was 14 years old in 1943 when she and her family went into hiding. At first, she and her ten-year-old sister were taken by Paul Terwindt* (also known as Oom Jan) an active member of the UKC group to a family in Valkenburg, Limburg. When the family, who were devout Catholics, tried to persuade the two girls to convert to Christianity, Paul decided to move them. Rachel was taken to Jacob and Allegonda Heldens in Venray, Limburg, staying there from February 1944 until November 22, 1944, when the area was liberated. The Heldens couple had two children, aged one and a half and two and a half. A third child, a daughter, was born in August 1944, and Rachel developed a lasting bond with the little girl. Pieter and Allegonda ran a small farm and Rachel helped out, both with the chickens and cows and with the children. Being blonde and blue-eyed she looked like one of the family and they spread the rumor that she was Jacob's sister. Rachel moved around more or less until she was interrogated one day in the street by the Dutch police and asked for her papers, which she did not have. Rachel told them that she had come to help her sister-in-law, who had just given birth, and they let her go. From then on she hid in the hiding place that Jacob had prepared for her on the farm. The Heldens family was not wealthy but felt it was their duty to save human lives, even at the risk of their own. On July 10, 1994, Yad Vashem recognizes Pieter Jacob Heldens and his wife, Allegonda Arnoldina Heldens-Josten, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Pieter Jacob Heldens | geb. 31 Dec 1909 overl. 29 Aug 1958 |
| Huwelijk: | 9 Juni 1939 | Bergen, Limburg |