Agatha Catharina Suringa

Geslacht: Vrouw
Vader: Bernardus Johannes Suringa
Moeder: Jeannette Boer
Geboren: 20 MRT 1884 Amsterdam
Overleden: 21 Aug 1954 Amsterdam
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Helt
First Name: Agatha Catharina
Maiden Name: Suringa
Date of Birth: 20/03/1884
Date of death: 21/08/1954
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Female
Place during the war: 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.31.2/5237)
Kurt Michael Rosenstein was born in Germany and fled to Amsterdam in 1936. In July 1942, as a German Jew, he was among the first to receive deportation orders to Westerbork. On the day he received the order, a non-Jewish friend passed him the address of a family who was willing to hide him: Mathijs and Agatha Helt, who opened their home in central Amsterdam to him. Mathijs worked at a gas company and their daughter Lucia (Lucie, later Hopkes), a few years younger than Kurt, was a laboratory worker. Kurt was given a room on the first floor and while he was there no one knew of his existence except two Resistance workers who brought food cards knew about him. Kurt passed the time reading or studying. Kurt later testified that Mathijs and Agatha looked after him with great devotion. They built him a special hiding place between the kitchen and the attic and Kurt practiced disappearing into this space quickly in case of emergency. Luckily, although many houses in this street overlooking the canal were raided, the authorities always bypassed the Helts' home. Kurt paid the Helts some money towards his upkeep, which he received from his uncle, but when his uncle was deported he remained with the Helts without having to pay. He stayed with the Helts from July 15, 1942, until the liberation on May 5, 1945. He had a good relationship with the Helts and stayed in touch with Lucie after her parents' death. In 1986, she even visited Kurt in Brazil, where he was then living.
On June 30, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Mathijs Coenraad Helt, his wife, Agatha Catharina Helt-Suringa, and their daughter, Lucia Hopkes-Helt, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Matthijs Coenraad Helt geb. 2 Feb 1881 overl. 4 MRT 1977
Huwelijk: 8 Aug 1907 Amsterdam
Kinderen:
  Lucia Helt Female geb. 11 Dec 1917