Leonard Hendriks
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Jan Jozef Hendriks | |
| Moeder: | Gertruid Jansen | |
| Geboren: | 4 Sept 1899 | Oirsbeek |
| Overleden: | 19 MRT 1984 | Heerlen |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Hendriks First Name: Leonard Alias: BROTHER BERNARDINUS Date of Birth: 04/09/1899 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC Gender: Male Profession: PRIEST Place during the war: Helden, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Helden, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/2607) The monks of Huize Koningslust, a monastery in Helden, Limburg, took upon themselves the task of rehabilitating released convicts within their abbey. Heading this effort was Brother Bernardinus, formerly Leonard Hendriks, who was a commanding, forceful, energetic figure, also active in the Resistance. In May 1943, Brother Bernardinus waited in Helden for the contact who was bringing Yehuda Pimentel, a Jewish fugitive from Amsterdam, by bicycle from the train station. Brother Bernardinus then took Yehuda to the monastery where he remained hidden for about 18 months, until the liberation of Limburg in September 1944. On their way, on bicycles, Brother Bernardinus provided Yehuda with his cover story and told him about his new way of life: he was to pretend to be a convict. Brother Bernardinus would teach him to pray so that he would not stand out amongst the other convicts, and he would live in a small cell, just like the others. The inmates had few restrictions, they were free to come and go as they pleased, and there was plenty of food despite the wartime conditions. Brother Bernardinus took care of everything, for Yehuda in particular, but without drawing attention to him. He became a father figure for Yehuda and remained so for many years after the war. Yehuda was the only Jew among the ex-convicts, but there were other Jews hidden in different places in the monastery. One hid in an attic above the church for two years, but because he looked so obviously Jewish he could not move around freely. Brother Bernardinus kept him alive, both physically and mentally, bringing him food several times a day and talking to him for hours at night, trying to keep him from becoming depressed. Brother Bernardinus, who had great influence with the local farmers, found hiding places for Jewish children on their farms. When Mrs. Lowenstein, one of the Jewish woman in hiding, died in the hospital, where she had been admitted on Brother Bernardinuss orders, he took her body away at night and buried her on monastery grounds. After the war, he contacted a rabbi and the body was reinterred in a Jewish cemetery. On June 7, 1983, Yad Vashem recognized Leonard Hendriks as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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