Nantje Staal
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Eltjo Staal | |
| Moeder: | Antje Geuken | |
| Geboren: | 3 Juni 1917 | Winschoten |
| Overleden: | 16 Nov 2007 | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Hidden First Name: Nanny Maiden Name: Staal Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Hilversum, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Hilversum, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1861) When Helen Roos's parents were ordered to move into the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, the Resistance arranged for them to go into hiding in Hilversum. In November 1943, the same resistance group arranged for Helen, aged five, to hide in Hilversum too, with the Hidden family. Warntje and Antje Hidden had two sons, who did not know Helen was Jewish. On some occasions, they were also forced to hide because they had refused to work for the Germans. Antje also had a 25-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Nanny. Nanny was unwell and had recently returned from a sanitarium. She pretended that Helen was her illegitimate child. Such a facade was remarkable because the family was devoutly Protestant and the idea of an illegitimate child was opposed to their beliefs. As a member of the family, Helen was free to move around. Warntje and Antje arranged extra food for her from neighboring farms. They organized a party for Helen on her birthday. One day, the Germans came to the house in search of a friend of one of the boys who was in the Resistance. They paid no attention to Helen and did not notice that she had no food stamps. The Hidden family received no financial compensation for their efforts. They were motivated purely by religious conviction. After the liberation, an aunt came to take Helen; her parents and younger sister had perished. The parting was extremely difficult for both Helen and the Hidden family. On June 26, 1980, Yad Vashem recognized Warntje Hidden, his wife Antje Hidden-Geuken, and her daughter, Nanny Staal-Hidden, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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